

































^ ^ f^ o ^ ^ymncrm. <x 

^ Kr 'C' -^ *> * '' A^ <i'^'*« '^O 

•'Ao, 1-0 ’ 


O 


,-0 




. /^ ''^o o'^ 


0 ^ 

d- 


p‘ '° 






^ vV; 

'Q/. •s.'^' 

* V? 

■^ '-^ A c:C55^V^ y 





T-w^WV * ^ 

^-i- 

o, ' 0 A, V _n 0 


V^ ^ V ^ 

«<> «:. c^Wcr-^/ 7 ; ^ ^ ^ 



^ 'V ^ 

« ^<5^ " ' . V 1 8 , '/q 

r'- » ^ 'p ."o A *> 

. o - '-^NiUL'-W ^ vy 

OO' 




/. 'o \^' ^ ' 




c> 

^ V? ^- 


^ ^ o * '» a\ « \ t « « 


a'C y 


- "^A 

•« 


?A A'i^. »N ,. -C 





L«^ii : .< 


0 O > it li* 

‘ ^ ^ ff \’ ^ 



4 r/' >- 

® ^ «<• 

^ ^ 0 N 0 ^ v^*' ^ ^ „ 

O * • 

^ - '^ A r. 

*" '■^'n ‘'^' ® ^ 

" c> ® 

^ O * V *^C> 




d- 7-^nn 




•V 


%. 

\ / 

^ -# 





lit. 



-T 

v'^ O 

^ , 0 ^ o. ^ ^ o 


-. °o 0 °' 

•ss'^'': ''° °'‘ • 

'^£ c ^ ^<r^ 

^ 'It-'-Vr'^ > \'^ t' 

^O ^ n o > * . '^''' * 8 I A S. ,, 

■’*^° .\ aA<>0^ > 0‘ ^ "» 

^ v^ ^ 'N 

. .■• V ^ S ‘\ 



O o 4 X ^ ,( 

r . 0 


O 

^ . 0 ^ 



it 


i I 






■> 




C ‘ I -V • 

V V'* .’jY' ' 

•>'" I* '. ijn 

■, ' I 

I k » Uf* • 


r I 


jW 


. r ♦ 
^ " r 


w>» 


il -A 


u 


M’ 


^ \ 






4 4 


1^ 


w 


t * 


1 k * 


'i 


2 j 




3 * 




♦ • 




m:-. :. 

^'f.. • 


*f 




f ' 


t Vv ^t‘ ' .^’ 


H; 


«* 


■’V . ? 




A L f 


fFf 


if-f 'I 




. L ' 1 1 ■.. J\ 

ii- 


F^t'Vr^ 






IV ♦ 




«•*; 


,» 


-1 


• i 


4 








s> 


»J 


:%! 


11 


?♦ 






-•<’ 






I ^ « 


•t 


V ^ 


Vi ‘ 


•wm^ 


» 


’ *?Si'' ">'« 




« * 


Lt 


V‘i!fctL' 


< I • 














• tv 



\ . 








) 


< 



i 






I 



M M M 'K M M % ''4h, M. 'M. M M M M. 'M 'M M 'M 'M, M Wi 

:i^5pooO>:owoPcg3sooeoaancg>vy>‘/7y/n«yAy!^>v?>//y^ 


[HE GIRDLE OF THE GOD 


A NOVEL 


BY 

ROBERT SHORTZ 

Author of “ A Passing Emperor,” “ The Gift of Bonaparte,” etc. 


NEW YORK 

THE HOME PUBLISHING COMPANY 

3 East Fourteenth Street 


iiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinfi" ' iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiniiii»iiiimiiiiiiiminiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiniiiiiinm>ininiiii 


Archibald Clavering Gunter’s 
Celebrated Works 


THE MOST SUCCESSFUL NOVELS OF THE AGB 


Mr. Bames of New York 

Mr. Potter of Texas 

That Frenchman 

Miss Nobody of Nowhere 
Miss Dividends 

Baron Montez of Panama and Paris 
A Princess of Paris 

The King’s Stockbroker 

The First of The English 

The Ladies’ Juggernaut 
Her Senator 

Don Balasco of Key West 
Bob Covington 

( Part I— Susan Turnbull 
The Power of Woman i ^ ^ tt h t. 

I Part II — Bally ho Bey 

Billy Hamilton 

Lost American Jack Curzon 


CLOTH, GILT TOP, ^1.25 


PAPER, 50 CENTS 


For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on 
receipt of price by the publishers 

THE HOME PUBLISHING CO. 


Bast Fourteenth Street 


New York 


^HE GIRDLE 

OF THE GOD 


A Novel 



BY y 


ROBERT SHORTZ 

Author of “ A Passing Emperor,” “ The Gift of Bonaparte,” etc. 



NEW YORK 

THE HOME PUBLISHING COMPANY 

3 East Fourteenth Street 



32466 


Copyright 1899 
By A. C. GUNTER, 
All rights, reserved. 


mo COPIES RECriVcO. 



i'HE WrNTHROP PRESS, 

32^34 LAFAYETTE PLACE, N. Y. 




THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD 

BOOK I 

Drift from the Ocean 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Rose of Rimac 5 

II. “For the Men of Chile!” 18 

III. A lady's advice '27 


BOOK II 

King to the Conquered 

IV. “The way to the sacred belt lies through 

the vale of death! ” 37 

V. The worshipers of the sun 47 

VI. The sacred isle 55 

VII. Manco, last of the Incas 64 

VIII. A swim and a kiss 74 


BOOK III 

Foes to the Marquis 

IX. “ Twice in one day ! ” 86 

X. At a woman’s bidding 9^ 

XI. “The white banner shall not wave in tri- 
umph to-morrow!” 108 

XII. The cobbler and the Peruvian 118 

XIII. Triumph! 129 


BOOK IV 


As Decreed by Fate 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XIV. My turn now.” 140 

XV. Death in the temple 150 

XVI. “ There is another.” 162 

XVII. “ You would not save my father! ” 172 

XVIII. The promise of Francisco de Carbajal.. . . 184 

XIX. We killed Piazrro 1 We slew the tyrant! 192 

XX. Roaring Dick changes an opinion 206 

XXI. “A love tryst with the Rose of Rimac ! ”. 214 


BOOK V 

For Liberty and Life 

XXII. A reckoning with Prince Paullo 226 

XXIII. The Balsa.... 234 

XXIV. Saved by the sacred belt 242 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD 


BOOK I. 

Drift from the Ocean. 


CHAPTER I. 

THE ROSE OF RIMAC. 

“ Juan de Rada has told you nothing, then, Sehor 
Howard? ^ou are totally ignorant of the present 
condition of affairs in Peru ? ” 

As Almagro spoke he laid his hand upon the Eng- 
lishman’s shoulder, and sought with his own fiery black 
eyes to read the depths of the calm gray orbs that met 
his glance with a stare, composed and frank indeed, 
but steady and inscrutable as that of the Sphinx. 

“ Absolutely uninformed,” Grafton Howard an- 
swered, in a tone half careless, half amused at the 
earnest manner of his questioner. 

‘‘ But, if that be the case, how is it that I find you 
ready and willing to engage yourself with my party? 
De Rada himself answers for you ; he has assured me 
that for' any enterprise, however desperate, I may rely 
upon you implicitly.” 

” The number of years you have known the Senor 
Juan de Rada should have taught you how much reli- 
ance to place in his word, my dear Senor Almagro.” 
with a scarce concealed yawn that plainly disclosed the 
speaker’s utter lack of interest in the matter. “ He has 
counseled you, I believe, to accept my services. If you 
follow his advice you’ll not repent it.” 

‘‘ Of a truth, you speak with confidence, Senor How- 


6 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


ard,” the younger man observed, laughing in a some- 
what embarrassed fashion ; scarce past the age of 
twenty-one himself, the cold indifference, the reckless 
sang froid of his companion abashed him, 

Howard made no reply in words. Removing, with 
a gesture full of grace, the worn Montero hat of black 
velvet, adorned by a single short, curling plume of the 
same hue from the close-cut blonde locks of his shapely 
head, he gently fanned his countenance, heated by the 
rays of the noonday sun that on this first day of June, 
in the year 1541, seemed to concentrate his powers with 
relentless vigor upon the vale of Rimac. Far away to 
the east the snow-crowned summits of the Andes tow- 
ered secure in their masses of icy heights and laughed 
to scorn the efforts of the King of Day ; but in the 
valley a pitiless, quivering glitter filled the motion- 
less air, and the six-year-old city founded by the con- 
queror Pizarro baked and sweltered in the sunshine. 
Beautiful indeed the town appeared in the strong light, 
with its wide streets, its already numerous stately edi- 
fices, each embowered in its clustering garden of luxu- 
riant plants of the tropics; but Diego de Almagro, 
standing with Howard in the Plaza before the gate 
of the governor-general’s palace, had eyes for nothing 
in the world save his companion.. 

Keenly, and with appreciation, he scanned the mag- 
nificent proportions of the man before him, noting and 
mentally comparing to his own slight and lithe figure 
the broad, square shoulders, superbly modeled torso, 
mighty arms, thin lips, spare, sinewy legs under the 
close-fitting, short jerkin and tight hose of sea-stained 
blue cloth. Such strength, he decided, could at need 
make formidable use of the long, weighty, cross- 
handled sword and the ugly-looking poniard that hung 
at either side of the plain, scarred belt of black leather 
confining the slender waist. 

A man endowed with such might of would 

undoubtedly be a great acquisition to a chief in need 
of warriors. But would the real man fulfill the prom- 
ise of his outward casing? Could Grafton Howard be 
trusted ? 

Raising his eyes from a contemplation of the cracked 
and wretched leathern shoes that covered a pair of feet 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


7 


singularly small and delicately molded to belong to a 
man possessing above six feet of stature, he fixed his 
glance once more upon the Englishman’s face. 

He saw a high, bold forehead, the upper portion, 
shaded by locks of short, golden hair, covered by a 
skin of dazzling fairness, terminating abruptly at the 
i dark groove across its broad surface acquired by the 
constant pressure of helmet or headpiece. Below this 
' line, the unmistakable token by which the soldier of 
that period could be distinguished from men of other 
; callings, the skin of the face and the powerful throat 
was burned by the sun and darkened by the winds of 
the ocean. The accumulated tan of seventeen years’ 
j voyaging and campaigning had totally obliterated all 
I evidences of a once fine blonde complexion. Yet what 
the face had lost in beauty it had gained in strength 
and manly resolution. The frank, fearless gray eyes, 
shining from beneath the heavy eyebrows with a glance 
of careless composure ; the finely outlined, haughtily 
a .uiline nose, with its thin, sensitive nostrils ; the 
1 -.outh, strong, stern-lipped, under the thick moustaches 
of a darker shade than the hair, yet reckless and defiant 
i'l its expression ; the square, prominent chin, clean- 
shaven like the bronzed, broad jaws, and the columnar 
throat that supported the head so proudly ; all these de- 
noted the soldier and man of pf'tinn rs olainly as the 
helmet creases in the hair upon the temples. 

As Almagro continued to gaze, xioward returned 
his look with a glance of kindly amusement. A smile 
of rare good-will and hearty toleration parted the lips 
that might have served for the model of those of a 
Roman imperator, and presently the Englishman 
laughed. 

“ Well? ” he said, with a note of interrogation in his 
tone. 

The laugh, fhe open, sunny glance that accompanied 
it, the sterling ring of the voice, completely conquered 
the last doubts of the son of the old conquistador. 
With all the fervor of his impulsive being he caught 
Howard’s hand in both his own, exclaiming warmly : 

“ The word of Juan de Rada suffices, Senor How- 
ard ! I claim you as one of us, and henceforth the 
cause of the Men of Chile is your own ! ” 


8 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ Gently, gently, my dear Senor,” remonstrated the 
other, hastening to rescue his headgear from the peril 
threatened by the eager clasp of Almagro. You for- 
get, if you ever knew the fact, that this is the only hat 
I own in the world ; and even as it stands, ’tis to Juan 
de Rada that I’m indebted for it. Had you broken the 
feather, as your hand barely failed to do, your friend 
would have slight opinion of my gratitude for his 
bounty.” 

“ Nay, nay,” he continued, as the younger man re- 
coiled, showing a slight evidence of rising resentment 
in eye and cheek. “ take not my words amiss, I beseech 
you. ’Tis natural, you will grant, for a man who has 
but one hat, and who has drunk nothing for the past 
week but water, to wish to preserve that one entire. 
Therefore, you 11 forgive my evasion of your h_and. 
And now,” placing the Montero once more upon his 
head, “ since it’s been returned to its proper abiding 
place, permit me to extend my own. With it you take 
my complete adherence to your cause.” 

Their handgrip terminated, Almagro breathed a short 
sigh of relief. Though he would not have betrayed 
the fact for an empire, his own fingers, in the clasp 
of that small, aristocratic, Norman hand, had felt as 
if compressed by a steel vice. 

“ Since I’m to follow your banner,” Howard re- 
sumed, “ you have a right to know as much of me as 
any man, save one, here in Peru knows. My appear- 
ance on your shores, Senor Almagro, was due to a 
combination of circumstances that concerns no one 
but myself. Even to Juan de Rada I have not dis- 
closed the facts. That gentleman I was so fortunate as 
to meet on the day following my landing. Becoming 
cognizant of the fact that I have some skill at handling 
my sword,” — a curious smile caused Howard’s mous- 
tache to twitch — “ and learning that since my sixteenth 
year I have made my way in the world by that utensil, 
he was so good as to propose that I should follow him 
hither and attach myself to your fortunes. That I 
arrived this morning and accompanied you here to the 
palace gate, where we now attend the coming of De 
Rada, who, you tell me, is interviewing the governor- 
general, you know as well as I do.” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


9 


“ And that is all your story, Sehor Howard ? ” Diego 
asked in astonishment. “ Juan de Rada vouches for 
you, knowing no more than what you have just told 
me ? ” 

“ Exactly. You can not understand why he should 
do so? Sehor Almagro, your friend Juan de Rada 
knows the world. He well comprehends that I, a pen- 
niless adventurer in a strange and unknown land, can 
have nothing to gain from the Marquis Pizarro. In his 
service all the highest prizes have already been drawn, 
all future rewards will go to those whom he has already 
proved by long and tried services. ’Tis useless, there- 
fore, to try and sell my sword to him. But from you, 
young, ambitious, collecting an army for the conquest 
of those dominions granted to your father by the King 
of Spain, I may hope for anything. Hence the recom- 
mendation of your friend. He knows my case as well 
as I do.” 

“ True,” Almagro muttered. You reason well, 
Sehor Howard. Should my hopes be attained you may 
indeed gain much. You understand, however, that my 
expedition may be long delayed ? That the time of mv 
setting out depends not upon myself but upon the will 
of the governor-general ? ” 

“ And wherefore ? ” Howard demanded. “ Your 
forces once assembled, how can their march be hindered 
by any mind save your own ? ” 

“ To explain the causes fully, Sehor Howard, were 
to weary you with a long story. But while we await 
the coming of Juan de Rada I will endeavor in as few 
moments as possible to acquaint you with the leading 
facts. Will it please you to listen? ” 

” I shall be charmed,” the Englishman murmured 
politely, leaning back against the wall of the gateway 
and placing his hands on his hips. 

“ Then, Sehor Howard, here is the history : Seven- 
teen years ago there were three men in the town of 
Panama who had heard and credited tales of a country 
teeming with gold and treasures that lay far to the 
south of the Isthmus. So earnestly did they believe the 
vague rumors borne to their ears on the tongues of 
wandering Indians that they determined to prove their 
truth. These three men, two of them soldiers of for- 


lO 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


tune, the third an obscure priest, not one of them rich 
or powerful, entered into an agreement, sehor, to share 
equally among them all lands that they should conquer, 
and with the best means at their command, equipped 
an expedition for a voyage of discovery. Such an 
undertaking seems to border upon madness, you would 
perhaps say, Senor Howard? Yet the men who en- 
gaged in it were all of them past the middle age.” 

“ A daring trio,” Grafton Howard remarked, as 
Diego paused. 

“ A trio whose names shall endure for centuries, 
Sehor Howard,” the young man replied with enthu- 
siasm. “ Generations on generations yet unborn will 
repeat with admiration the names of Francisco Pi- 
zarro, the Fray Hernando de Luque, and my father, 
Diego de Almagro. 

“ Despite the opposition of Pedrarias, the governor at 
Panama,” he went on, “ they made voyages, attained 
lands before unknown to Spanish mariners, and acquired 
conclusive proof of the existence of the great empire of 
the Incas. Yet their efforts had a limit. Their money 
was exhausted, the almost incredible toils and perils 
they had undergone, related by their followers upon 
returning to Panama, made men loth to seek their for- 
tunes on the Southern Ocean. It was agreed that aid 
must be sought from the Crown. Fitted out for the 
journey by their united resources, Francisco Pizarro 
sailed for Spain and announced the discovery of Peru 
to the Emperor Charles V.” 

“ As a consequence, appropriating to himself, I sup- 
pose, the lion’s share of the monarch’s gratitude,” 
Grafton Howard said dryly. 

“ Your logic is not at fault, Sehor Howard,” Al- 
magro answered with a bitter laugh. “To him was 
granted the right of discovery and conquest in Peru for 
a space of two hundred leagues south of Santiago. He 
had the titles of Governor and Captain-General, as well 
as those of Adelantado and Alguacil Mayor for life. 
Likewise the privilege of erecting fortresses, with abso- 
lute government therein. His salary was fixed at seven 
hundred and twenty-five thousand maravedis.” 

“ Not bad for Pizarro,” smiled the Englishman, “ but’ 
his two friends, what did the Emperor do for them ? ” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. I I 

“Father Luque he made Bishop of Tumbez and Pro- 
tector of the Indians of Peru. A thousand ducats year- 
ly was to be his allowance. My father was decreed 
commander of the fortress of Tumbez, granted three 
hundred thousand maravedis annual pay and honored 
by the rank and privileges of an hidalgo.” 

“ Come, come,” Howard muttered. “Not equal to 
Pizarro’s reward, certainly ; still, not to be despised.” 

“ Had he been allowed to enjoy it, yes, sehor. He 
had not that good fortune. Although angered and 
grieved at the cupidity of his old associate in arms, my 
! father nevertheless entered heartily into the desperate 
venture of the conquest. The story of that wonderful 
I campaign is fanciful and extravagant as the boldest 
flights of the romancers, yet it is true. With a mere 
handful of troops Pizarro invaded a powerful mon- 
archy, seized and executed its sovereign, occupied its 
capital and divided its treasures among his devoted fol- 
lowers.” 

Magnificent ! ” the word forced itself from the lis- 
tener’s lips, while a flash of the gray eyes betokened that 
perhaps another man lived in the world who could dare 
to attempt a task of equal difficulty with the Conquer- 
or’s. 

“ Magnificent, indeed, senor, and sufficient to gild 
the name of Francisco Pizarro with undying glory, had 
it not been for what was to follow,” Diego returned. 

“ There is always a ‘ but,’ it would seem,” the Eng- 
lishman said, cynically. “ Go on.” 

“ Among those who had followed Pizarro from 
Spain,” Almagro resumed, “ were his three brothers, 
Hernando, Juan, and Gonzalo. Between Hernando, the 
eldest, and my father a deadly feud sprang up. The 
evil speeches and counsels of his brother did much to 
alienate Francisco Pizarro’s heart from his old friend. 
After the fall of Cuzco, Hernando was dispatched to 
Europe with the tidings of success and the royal share 
of the booty. At the court of the Emperor he did all 
in his power to damage my father’s interests, but in 
vain. This time the honors were more justly dis- 
tributed. When Hernando returned, he brought with 
him a grant to my father of the country extending for 
two hundred leagues south of that assigned to his 
brother, with like powers and privileges. 


12 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ Here, Senor Howard, arose the fatal dispute that 
led to my father’s death. Cuzco, the capital of the In- 
cas, lies within the territory allotted to Diego de Al- 
magro. My father was not backward in asserting his 
rights, nor was Pizarro slow to dispute them. The 
quarrel was sustained by their respective adherents, and 
almost ended in open warfare. Finally a referee was 
agreed upon. Pending his decision the friends were 
reconciled. Pizarro remained to govern Peru, while 
my father made his disastrous expedition to Chile.” 

“ The land you yourself intend to conquer?” inter- 
jected Howard. 

“ Aye, senor, the very same. May I have better luck 
than my father before me. He found in that land 
where zee hope to acquire fortunes only hardship and 
suffering. Intimidated by the icy blasts that sweep its 
mountains, discouraged by the difficulties of its for- 
ests, thinned in their number by the attacks of its un- 
daunted inhabitants, his followers at last forced him to 
return to Peru. 

“ Upon arriving in the vicinity of Cuzco he learneci to 
his astonishment that during his absence great events 
had occurred. Manco, the successor of the murdered 
Inca Atahuallpa, had succeeded in escaping from the 
guardianship of Juan Pizarro, who had him in charge. 
Flying from the capital he gained the Cordilleras, and 
summoned to his standard the still faithful warriors of 
Peru. At the head of above an hundred thousand men 
he returned to Cuzco to crush the Spaniards, who, un- 
der command of Hernando Pizarro, still held the city.” 

“ No pleasant task for your friend Hernando, it 
would seem,” Grafton Howard laughed. 

“ Senor Howard, he is a Pizarro ; and much cause 
as I have to hate the race, him most of all, I will ac- 
knowledge that no Pizarro ever was a coward or an un- 
skillful captain. Though the Peruvians fired the city, 
Hernando held the blazing houses and would not be 
driven out. The seige endured for months, while 
throughout Peru the natives waged fierce war with the 
invaders. Those Spaniards who were residing in 
fancied security upon their estates were slaughtered al- 
most to a man. Expedition after expedition dispatched 
from Ciudad de las Reyes by the Marquis to the relief 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


13 


of his brothers was cut off and annihilated. Juan Pi- 
zarro perished, slain at the retaking of the citadel of 
Cuzco. Yet the Inca could not reduce the town. The 
need of disbanding his troops that they might cultivate 
the soil at length forced him to withdraw. Soon after 
his retreat my father’s forces, returning from Chile, 
approached Cuzco.” 

“ Causing a new complication in this very distorted 
state of affairs,” quietly commented the Englishman. 

“ A decidedly striking one,” Almagro rejoined. “ My 
father, who knew the Inca well, opened negotiations 
with him, but the Peruvian sovereign suddenly attacked 
him in the valley of Yucay with fifteen thousand war- 
riors. Another glorious victory was added to those 
my father had already won, the Inca Manco flying the 
field with scarce a single follower. Weary of waiting 
the decision of the umpire between him and the Mar- 
quis my father then seized Cuzco by a night march and 
Hernando Pizarro became his prisoner.” 

“ To be honored with a friar for the confession, a 
public procession, and the sword of the executioner or 
the garrote,*' concluded Howard. 

“ Senor, you rush to conclusions too quickly,” replied 
Diego with a long-drawn sigh. “ Such had indeed 
been my father’s wisest plan, and the best of his cap- 
tains strongly advised it. But one among them, Diego 
de Alvarado, by his representations preserved the life 
of Hernando Pizarro. Though held a close prisoner, 
he was not executed. 

“ Meanwhile the Marquis Francisco had hurried for- 
ward a body of troops to the succor of his brother. On 
the 1 2th of July, 1537, the first battle between Span- 
iards in Peru was fought, at the Rio de Abancay. Upon 
my father’s return to Cuzco he brought with him pri- 
soners nearly outnumbering his own forces.” 

” A great soldier, your father,” Grafton said, admir- 
ingly. 

” Senor, it was his trade from boyhood. The scars 
of his battles were so numerous that the original fea- 
tures of his countenance were destroyed. He was a 
chieftain ever-victorious, the pride and the idol of his 
soldiers. But, to my story. His advance-guard de- 
feated, the Marquis Pizarro resorted to negotiation. 


14 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


No man has more skill in the wiles of the tongue than 
he. In effect, he prevailed upon my father that their 
differences could still be settled by the umpires. All 
was to be good-will and friendship between them once 
more, and as an earnest of his sincerity my father re- 
leased Hernando Pizarro, who, for his part, promised 
to leave Peru at once and return to Spain. I myself 
rode in the escort, Sehor Howard, upon the day that 
saw Hernando restored to his brother’s embrace, and 
with these ears I heard the lying villain swear upon his 
knightly honor that he would sail without delay for the 
Isthmus.” 

“ And did he not keep sacred his oath ? ” the English- 
man demanded. 

Almagro shrugged his shoulders. 

“ Sehor Howard, he is a Pizarro. Scarce had my 
father left the quarters of the Marquis Francisco, when 
the latter summoned his captains. In their presence he 
absolved Hernando from his oath, and placed him in 
command of his army. Moving before the troops of 
my father could be concentrated, they passed the moun- 
tains and marched upon Cuzco. At Las Salinas, scarce 
a league from the city, the forces of my father were ar- 
rayed to meet them. But, sehor, my father was not 
well that day. Too ill to mount his horse, he was com- 
pelled to intrust the command to Rodrigo de Orgohez. 
Whatever mistakes that captain made he paid for, dying 
like a man upon the field. Hernando Pizarro with his 
cavalry, his brother Gonzalo and Pedro de Valdivia 
with their infantry, cut the army of Chile to pieces. Too 
weak to escape, my father fell into the hands of his bit- 
terest enemy.” 

“ To whom, nevertheless, he had shown mercy,” ob- 
jected Grafton Howard. 

‘‘ Aye, Senor Howard, but Hernando was a Pizarro,'' 
Diego returned fiercely. “ Once you say that, you say 
all. I need not prolong my tale. They dared not ex- 
ecute him openly. Therefore, in the privacy of his 
prison cell, my father, Diego de Almagro, the Marshal, 
the Conquistador, died by the garrote.” 

“And the Marquis Francisco, what did he?” de- 
manded the other. 

“ He showed respect for the memory of his old friend, 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


15 


senor. He attended the funeral,” Almagro answered 
in tones of bitter irony. “ He did the same for Atahu- 
allpa.” 

“ And afterward? ” the Englishman persisted. 

“ Oh, afterward, all Peru was his, Senor Howard. 
Plis word is law here in the province. Hernando he 
sent to Spain that he might justify his conduct to the 
Emperor. Gonzalo has gone to Quito, leading thence 
an expedition to explore the heart of the continent. The 
Marquis sits here at Ciudad de las Reyes and busies him- 
self with embellishing his new city. Me, he keeps ever 
under his eye, continually deferring my confirmation in 
the dignities I have inherited from my father. The 
miserable pittance he doles out to me is scarce sufficient 
to keep me above want.” 

“ Were I in your place, Senor Almagro, ’tis not for 
the conquest of Chile that my friends would be assem- 
bled.” The voice of Howard, though careless, was 
pitched a trifle lower than his usual tone. 

“ Perhaps not,” Diego replied, his face suddenly as- 
suming that expression of stoical apathy that lay in its 
power, a gift transferred to him, no doubt, with the 
blood of his Indian mother. ” Yet first, senor, we will 
hear what the governor has said to Juan de Rada.” 

The shadow of a man falling across the gateway 
caused both to turn their eyes toward the Plaza. 

His coming unheralded by any noise, by reason of his 
unshod feet, an Indian runner glided slowly past them 
and entered the courtyard of the palace. Clad in a 
simple, sleeveless tunic of scarlet wool bordered with 
black, he held horizontally before him a long, pointed 
wooden cane, a badge of office that denoted his duty to 
clear the way for those who followed him. 

Six paces in his rear approached four other Indians, 
garbed in a livery similar to that of the first. Evenly 
and noiselessly they moved in perfect time, the result 
evidently of long training. Upon their sturdy should- 
ers they bore a litter, skillfully woven of pliant osiers 
and padded with cushions covered by rose-colored cloth 
of vicuiia. Within the litter, reposing amid its soft 
depths in an attitude replete with graceful, negligent 
ease, the eyes of Grafton Howard beheld a woman, fair 
r^'d radiant as some magical incarnation of a poet’s 
dream. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


i6 


Her glorious wealth of hair, light brown, almost 
golden in color, shone with striking effect against the 
roseate pillows that supported her head. Parted in the 
middle, tiny straying curls fell over the low, broad fore- 
head, while the rest of the waving tresses rippled away 
on both sides of the face, concealing the ears. The eye- 
brows were perfectly outlined, the eyes that gleamed in 
the shade of the long, curling eyelashes were blue as the 
bluest depths of the heavens. The blush of the rose 
tinted the soft cheeks ; the full, rounded chin and beau- 
tiful throat were white and lovely beyond comparison. 
The small patrician nose was chiseled in lines of mar- 
velous symmetry, and if the lips of the red mouth be- 
low were somewhat too full and gave promise that in 
later life they might develop an expression of sensual- 
ity, at present their outline was pure and childlike, and 
with the confiding eyes glorified the whole countenance 
with the stamp of absolute innocence. 

One tiny hand rested lightly against her cheek, the 
other lay idly extended by her side upon the cushions, 
the slender fingers of both heavily gemmed with rings 
of great price. Upon the fresh, bare arms, girlish, but 
showing no angle in their contour, about the wrists and 
above the elbows, shone bracelets of massy gold, thickly 
encrusted with emeralds. A broad necklace of the 
same pattern and materials gently rose and f^lhwith her 
free and regular respirations across the chest of a short, 
sleeveless jacket of thin green silk, fringed with gold 
and lined with pink taffeta, that, opening below where 
the screen of envious cloth concealed the budding 
charms of the faultlessly outlined bosom, permitted a 
glimpse of the gauzy folds of the spotless white robe be- 
neath. 

Confined at the waist by a gay silken sash woven in 
alternate bands of pink, green and gold, this last named 
garment flowed to the delicate feet, one of which, divine 
to behold in its golden sandal with emerald-decked 
straps, was plainly exposed to view by a careless fold of 
the snowy, golden threaded skirt that, ample in extent 
though it was, allowed nevertheless here and there a 
hint of the lines, matchless in their beauty, of the lovely 
limbs it covered. 

A wide fan of Peruvian feather-work lay within 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


7 


reach of the lady’s hand ; a canopy of the same covered 
the litter, averting the rays of the sun. 

As her bearers carried her steadily by the spot where 
Diego stood with Grafton Howard, her eyes opened 
wide, surveying the Englishman with a glance of frank, 
childlike curiosity. One second of her gaze he could 
claim. Then it was transferred to his new chieftain. 

And while both cavaliers swept the plumes of their 
hats in the dust, a radiant smile made glorious the girl’s 
lovely face, a voice low, sonorous and musical in its 
tones uttered the simple greeting: 

Buenas dias, Sehor Almagro.” 

But she did not stop her litter, which presently dis- 
appeared beyond the inner gates of the palace. 

Almagro drew a deep breath as he replaced his hat 
upon his head, casting a glance of mute interrogation at 
his usually annoyingly impassive associate. The color 
had deepened in Grafton Howard’s cheek, his lips were 
a trifle more closely set. Observing Diego’s inquisitive 
gaze he answered it loconically with the monosyllable : 

“ Grand ! ” 

“ More than that, Sehor Howard. All-conquering, 
enchanting, incomparable is the loveliness of the Seho- 
I rita Rosa ! ” Almagro exclaimed. 

I “ I referred to the physique of the Indian who pre- 
I ceded her litter,” Howard said, dryly. “ Did you notice 
I him? What limbs! what power of muscle! I’d 
; willingly try conclusions with him ; I fancy he’d show 
I good sport ! ” 

1 '" Sangre de Cristo! Think you that I’ve a glance to 
waste on a cursed, filthy Indian when I can look at the 
fairest maiden on earth, Sehor Howard ? ” Diego ex- 
claimed. 

“ Ten years from now you may have, but at present 
T see your eyes were all for her,” the Englishman 
laughed. Then, seeing the young man flush and bite 
his lip impatiently, he added kindly : 

For long men have interested me much more than 
women, Sehor Almagro. Yet doubtless you may teach 
me to repair the fault. May I ask the name of yonder 
beauteous lady ? ” 

“ She is the Sehorita Rosa de Picado, daughter to the 
secretary of the Marquis. As ‘ the Rose of Rimac ’ her 


i8 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


health is devoutly drunk by every gallant cavalier 
throughout Peru. Lovers she has by the hundred, yet 
none can boast himself favored,” with a glance strange 
and rapid at his companion’s face. 

“ May the best knight be her choice ! ” Grafton How- 
ard answered, carelessly. “ To thoughts of matters 
more vital for both of us, now, Sehor Almagro. For 
here comes Juan de Rada.” 


CHAPTER H. 

“for the men of chile!” 

Whatever the termination of his interview with the 
Marquis Pizarro, no trace of its success or failure could 
be gathered from the demeanor of the cavalier who now 
crossed the outer court and approached the two who 
had so long awaited his coming. 

If beneath the shadow of his wide hat-brim the veins 
stood angrily out, dark and swollen upon the broad, 
swart forehead ; if the yellowish eyes that were set so 
close to the long, harsh nose gave notice by their gleam 
that within the man lay passions easily roused and terri- 
ble in their violence ; if the grizzled, bushy mustachios 
seemed to bristle with rage as they brushed the lean 
cheeks, sunken, wrinkled and seamed with the scars of 
uncounted combats ; if the sharp, pointed chin quivered 
irregularly as the narrow, wolf-like teeth gnawed at the 
thin lips — it mattered not, all these were characteristics 
habitual to the face of Juan de Rada. 

Bearing his tall, spare figure, swathed in the ample 
cloak that even the heat of the tropics seldom compelled 
the Spaniard to lay aside, with a carriage haughty and 
overbearing as that of a Viceroy, he came up to Al- 
magro and the Englishman, never lessening the long 
stride that made the spurs upon the heels of his heavy 
horseman’s boots jingle fitfully; and, giving them a 
hasty and imperative sign to follow, led the way 
through the gate and across the Plaza. 

Diego, burning with youthful impatience, was speed- 
ily at his side. 

“ What said the Marquis, Juan de Rada?” he de- 
manded, eagerly. “ Will he grant the money? Will he 
yield up my revenues ? ” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


19 


A curt “ hasta manana," uttered in a tone that ad- 
mitted no gainsaying, checked his ardor. Obediently 
he lapsed into silence. Yet as De Rada and his com- 
panions passed over the square and continued to walk 
rapidly down the avenue where stood the house of Al- 
magro, the face of its young possessor, striding at the 
old man’s right hand, had scarce the indifference of 
Grafton Howard’s as the Englishman easily kept the 
pace at De Rada’s left. 

Even though, as his father’s oldest friend, and most 
enthusiastic partisan, Juan had known him from a child, 
the young man mentally objected; he was of an age 
now to demand better treatment than this manner of 
the pedagogue. Wait ! they should see ! 

At a mean-appearing house some five doors nearer 
the Plaza and on the opposite side of the street from 
their destination, De Rada paused for a moment. 

“ They have come, Huerfano ? ” he asked of a chubby, 
smooth-shaven little Spaniard, middle aged and meanly 
clad, who sat upon a rough bench of wood beside his 
door in the full sunshine, busily plying the thread and 
awl of the cobbler. 

" They have come,” the man echoed affirmatively. 
Notwithstanding his plump cheeks, his face looked anx- 
ious and watchful. 

“ Centincla alert e, then, no sleeping. On, caballeros, 
we are awaited yonder ! ” 

In the wide, low-ceilinged room that occupied the en- 
tire front on the ground floor of the dwelling allotted 
by the Marquis to the son of his ancient enemy, were 
gathered a score of those who still linked their broken 
fortunes, perhaps because they had no other choice, to 
the desperate cause of Diego de Almagro. Warned be- 
forehand of the intended appeal to the governor-gen- 
eral, they had assembled at the appointed hour to hear 
his answer. 

The entire company presented as to apparel a uni- 
form appearance of poverty and wretchedness. Few 
doublets were there unpatched, the exceptions thread- 
bare with constant usage. Here and there indeed the 
bright corselet of the cavalier, impervious to the rav- 
ages of time and scrupulously cared for, concealed the 
rags beneath. The feathers of the hats were frayed 


20 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


and tattered, the hose of most showed lines of danning 
in many places, the shoes and riding-boots had been to 
the cobbler over and over again. Only their weapons 
were not to be despised, the long swords and daggers 
carried by all being in the best condition. 

Upon the countenance of every man were apparent 
the traces of suffering and deprivation. Two or three 
even were drawn and pinched by the effects of long un- 
satisfied hunger. Yet, taken as a company, the faces of 
Almagro’s partisans marked them as soldiers whom any 
chieftain would be proud to command. Despairing as 
were their circumstances, they looked like men who 
might surmount any obstacle that barred their path to 
fortune. 

With few exceptions, boldness and energy were the 
prevailing tone in the grim visages of the cavaliers. 
I he uiiquenchahie valor of the knight-errant shone in 
their hollow eyes, the relentless ambition of the soldier 
made stern the lines of their mouths. There also was 
almost invariably betrayed the unsparing cruelty of the 
Conquistador, the soulless insensibility to the rights of 
other races that beneath the flag of Spain has turned the 
fairest districts of the Western hemisphere from smil- 
ing paradises to pestilential hells. 

Notwithstanding their empty pockets, all but two 
were gathered about a great table or seated astride and 
facing each other by couples upon rude benches, eagerly 
pursuing the darling recreation of their nation — gam- 
ing. The thumbed and many-lined tablets that lay be- 
side each man showed that the play was proceeding on 
credit. The profits of their contemplated expedition 
they recklessly staked, the fruits of days and weeks of 
hazardous adventure were lost or won months in ad- 
vance. 

Of the two unengaged in the fascinating pastime one, 
a handsome young fellow of daring and romantic ap- 
pearance, lounged lazily upon a low seat by a half-open 
window, seemingly half asleep yet constantly scanning 
the street toward the Plaza with his languorous black 
eyes. 

The other had withdrawn himself to a corner of a 
room near the entrance. Rubbing his broad shoulders 
against the wall with an apparent satisfaction at the cer- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


21 


tainty that no one could take him in the rear, this per- 
sonage continued to survey his companions with eyes 
gleaming unmistakable dislike and contemptuous dis- 
trust. 

Short and squat of build, he plainly possessed great 
strength of body. His hair and beard were red and 
bristly, the face they encircled common and coarse of 
feature, redeemed only by a certain steadfast expression 
in the twinkling little green-gray eyes. The elements 
and the worship of Bacchus had dyed the skin of his 
face and neck a lively scarlet. He wore the rough 
dress of an English seaman of the period, carried a long 
and dangerous knife at his belt, and seemed perhaps 
fifty years old. 

Undoubtedly of a race and temperament different 
from all the others, he had the effect of complete isola- 
tion. The surly frown that wrinkled his brow, the 
stubborn distrust in his gaze as he eyed the gamblers, 
made him resemble a watchful bulldog suddenly placed 
in the garret owned by a tribe of grim old tomcats. 

The entrance of Almagro with his companions 
brought the play to an abrupt close. Ceremonious and 
courtly to a degree were the salutations exchanged, and 
then the company became silent, awaiting in decorous 
quiet the report of Juan de Rada. 

“Before I make known my conversation with the 
Marquis,” began that cavalier, “ I would first be glad to 
ascertain how many men we can count upon for our ex- 
pedition. As you state in turn the number of your re- 
cruits I will mark them down in my tablets. Speak, Pe- 
dro de Candia, you are the oldest; how many swords 
can you promise ? ” 

“ Eight only,” replied a grizzled adventurer, bowed 
but unsubdued by the years that weighed upon his 
shoulders. “ They are worth three times their num- 
ber,” he added, consequentially. 

De Rada nodded and made the record. And you, 
Cristoval de Sotelo ? ” addressing a slender, saturnine- 
visaged man who sat with his arm about the shoulders 
of a vigorous, athletic-bodied warrior whose golden 
hair and large blue eyes bore evidence to the Gothic 
blood in his veins. 

“ I answer for thirty-five,” came the words in a voice 
gentle and melancholy. 


22 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Garcia de Alvarado? ’’ the censor continued. 

“ Fourscore lances that have conquered Inca 
armies,” he of the sunny tresses asserted boldly. 

“ May they prove such ! ” the number was written 
down. “ Juan de Narvaez ? ” 

“ Twenty-three, including myself, all old soldiers of 
Chile,” from a gaunt cavalier whose ill-boding eyes 
flashed with a sterner light as he spoke. “ Most of 
them were at Las Salinas.” 

“ Gomez Perez ? ” De Rada pursued hastily, as if the 
remembrance were not to his taste. 

“ I think — I am not postive — yet I feel I may say fif- 
teen,” stammered a black-bearded man of forty, whose 
face alone among all the others indicated irresolution. 

“ Fifteen then, for you. Geronimo de Alvarado ? ” 

“ We lodge sixteen together at my house. Only one 
cloak we own in common, and as ’t is my day to wear 
that, the others may not go abroad. Therefore, I an- 
swer for the sixteen,” laughingly explained the hand- 
some youth at the window. 

“ Ere our campaign ends, each man may have a score 
of cloaks, silk and velvet at that,” declared De Rada. 
“ Rodrigo Borregan ? ” 

“ Ten besides myself,” a scarred and war-worn Cas- 
tilian in a ragged doublet made reply. 

And the roll was continued throughout the circle un- 
til the end was reached and De Rada cast up the total. 

“ Well nigh four hundred men,” he announced im- 
pressively. “ For Dios ! gentlemen, Pizarro conquered 
Peru with no greater number ! ” 

“ And what he has done we can do ! ” they cried, rat- 
tling their arms and striking the table in their enthu- 
siasm. 

“ Aye, had we the meai?s to equip our troops,” De 
Rada rejoined, when all were once more silent. 

“ Your errand to the Marquis has been unsuccessful, 
then ? ” demanded Narvaez, bluntly. 

De Rada eyed his questioner coldly for a few seconds, 
and slowly began to speak. 

“ I found his excellency,” he said, “ in a most violent 
temper. Scarce had I entered his presence when he 
assailed me with bitter reproaches. It appears that 
upon the public gallows there were found suspended 


THE GIRDLE OE THE GOD. 


23 


this morning three ropes. Attached to each was a 
name, that of the Marquis, of the Judge Velasquez, and 
of the Secretary Picado. Has anyone present knowl- 
edge of how this came to pass ? ” looking fixedly at Nar- 
vaez. 

“ And if he has? ” the latter asked with a scornful 
sneer. 

“ Then let him know once for all that I forbid such 
folly, that I will have no more of these tricks that savor 
more of the idiot or the child than the man,” De Rada 
sternly declared. 

“ Corpo de Cristo! You forbid ! you will not have ! ” 
Narvaez returned in fierce accents, half rising from his 
seat. “ And who are you, that you should pretend to 
command the others ? ” 

“By appointment from Diego de Almagro I am his 
second in authority. To me he has intrusted the or- 
ganizing of his forces, and por Dios! I will be obeyed. 
Touch your sword lightly, Juan de Narvaez, or I will 
treat you as a mutineer.” 

“ My hand can keep my head,” Narvaez began dog- 
gedly, but Almagro cut him short. 

“ No more words, Juan de Narvaez,” he said, per- 
emptorily. “ Harmony is essential to our success; and 
since you have chosen to follow my banner, by my de- 
cisions you must abide. De Rada is in the right. 
Therefore be silent and hear him further.” 

The enraged cavalier cast a glance at his compan- 
ions ; but receiving no encouragement from their dis- 
approving stares he sunk sullenly back upon his bench. 
Juan de Rada continued : 

“ Puerile as this insult to the Marquis and his friends 
should be considered, it has nevertheless greatly en- 
raged Francisco Pizarro. In answering my petition 
that Almagro be placed in untrammeled possession of 
his father’s estate the governor sharply accused us of 
ingratitude. ‘ I have left you your lives,’ he told me, 

‘ when after Las Salinas I could have sent you to the ex- 
ecutioner. I allow you to assemble and hold your meet- 
ings unhindered, for if you deceive yourselves that your 
plottings are unknown to me. learn better. And now 
you dare to intimate that a rope awaits me! Such in- 
solence merits heavy punishment, yet I will not molest 


24 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


you. You Men of Chile are beneath my consideration. 
Tell your companions that I scorn them too greatly to 
fear them.” 

A low murmur of rage passed among the cavaliers as 
De Rada paused, a hum of deep-drawn breaths, of 
gritting jaws. Had the Marquis Francisco heard and 
noted the absence of outspoken anger, he might perhaps 
have reconsidered his opinion of the Men of Chile. 

“He definitely refused then, Juan?” Diego de Al- 
magro asked, mournfully, after some moments of 
silence. “ He will do nothing for me ? ” 

“ Not to the extent of a maravedi,” positively an- 
swered his lieutenant. 

The young man raised his head, that a moment since 
had sunk upon his bosom. 

“We must find other resources then,” he said, em- 
phatically. “ Since Pizarro denies us, whither can we 
turn ? ” 

“ The soul of the Marshal, the spirit of old Diego Al- 
fnagro spoke there ! ” De Rada cried with enthusiasm, 
“ ’Twas ever his way to think thus when the storm- 
clouds were dark about him. Son of my old friend and 
leader, if every other soul in the world desert you, be 
sure that Juan de Rada will be faithful to the last breath 
in his body ! ” 

“ And I ! and I ! ” echoed several of the listening 
cavaliers. 

“ Our last bolt is not yet shot,” De Rada resumed, en- 
couragingly. “We have known for some time that the 
Emperor has appointed a judge to inquire into the af- 
fairs of Peru. Senors, sure information reached me 
yesterday that the licentiate, Vaca de Castro, has arrived 
at Panama, armed with full powers to redress griev- 
ances, empowered to govern the country in the name of 
Charles V. Ere now he must have set sail from the 
Isthmus. Pizarro will not tamely submit to his rule ; 
believe me, there will be a rupture between the Marquis 
and the judge sent by the Crown. Then comes our 
chance ; the army we can offer to Vaca de Castro, he 
will gladly accept. Envoys should set out for the north 
at once, that they may meet him upon his landing and 
lay the story of our wrongs before him.” 

A warm and prolonged discusion followed the propo- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


25 


sition of Juan de Rada. After a lengthy debate it was 
decided that Cristoval de Sotelo and Garcia de Alva- 
rado, those singuarly devoted friends, should start on 
the next day to bear the complaints of the Almagrians 
to the royal judge. 

“ One more resource remains to us,” Juan de Rada 
asserted when the matter of the embassadors had been 
amicably adjusted. “ In the fastnesses of the Andes, 
secure against the soldiers of Pizarro, the Inca Manco 
still bids the Marquis defiance. Your father knew the 
Inca well, Diego. Many kindnesses the Peruvian re- 
ceived at his hands. It were no lost labor, to my mind, 
if overtures should be made and an alliance formed with 
him.” 

“ What ! ask Manco to band himself with us against 
the tribes of Chile ! ” Almagro demanded in astonish- 
ment. 

” Or against others. Who knows ? ” De Rada an- 
swered, meaningly. 

No man spoke for some moments. Dark glances 
passed among them, significant motions of the head 
were exchanged. It was plain that the thought of Juan 
de Rada had been understood by all. 

“ But — but — who would go? ” stammered Gomez Pe- 
rez finally. “ We well know that Manco does not re- 
main quiet in the mountains. Ever and again he comes 
down with his wariors to attack a convoy or destroy a 
plantation. And when Spaniards fall into his hands, 
he — he cuts off their heads” 

“ I myself will undertake the mission. The Senor 
Howard and Geronimo de Alvarado will bear me com- 
pany, I am sure,” Juan de Rada replied. 

“ And I,” Almagro broke in, impetuously. 

“ No, no, Diego ; that is beyond the question. Be- 
sides, the Marquis would not allow you to leave Ciudad 
de las Reyes. The senors I have named will not refuse 
to accompany me,” De Rada said, as rapid glances from 
Howard and Geronimo confirmed his words, “ and as 
for you, remaining quietly here will avert suspicion.” 

An emphatic “ hist ! ” from De Alvarado, who still 
lounged at the window, caused the speaker to pause. 

“ What is it then ? ” a dozen low-pitched voices de- 
manded. 


26 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD, 


“ There is danger. Huerfano makes the signal/’ the 
young cavalier returned. 

A blare of trumpets from the distant plaza came pres- 
ently to the ears of the now silent Almagrians. Nearer 
it progressed, the joyous sound of the merry hunting- 
horn. A procession of some sort was advancing along 
the street. 

“ Bah ! ’tis the Marquis going to his coursing party,” 
Garcia de Alvarado, who had joined his relation at the 
window, presently observed. “ Huerfano cries out at 
a shadow.” 

“ ’Tis indeed Pizarro on his way to the plain,” sub- 
stantiated Juan de Rada. “ He and Picado will wager 
to-day upon the merits of their greyhounds sums that 
would go far to help us on our way to Chile. But why 
those cries? The people as they pass hail them with 
shouts and bursts of laughter.” 

The cavaliers, interested, crowded to the windows. 
Presently the procession passed before the house. 

In front walked a dozen green-clad huntsmen, lead- 
ing the greyhounds in leash and winding from time to 
time the huge horns they carried. 

Behind them, prominent among a gallant group of 
horsemen, rode Francisco Pizarro, the Conqueror of 
Peru. Tall, gray-haired, the powerful frame of the 
Marquis sat erect and stately upon his mighty black 
charger. The fires of ambition still flamed in his pierc- 
ing eyes, the hand that held the bridle was still strong 
and vigorous. Simply attired in black, with white 
boots and a white hat, he presented a curious contrast 
to the figure that ambled along upon a bright sorrel 
mare at his right hand. 

This horseman was a little, attenuated man past the 
age of fifty, whose sandy hair and moustache were 
nevertheless but lightly touched with gray. The skin 
stretched so tightly over his face that even his lively 
blue eyes could not redeem the countenance from the ap- 
pearance of a death’s-head. Meanness and petty malice 
was the impression conveyed in every feature. 

Despite the heat of the day, he was clad with almost 
regal magnificence in doublet and hose of scarlet silk, 
above which he wore a flowing mantle of bright yellow 
.velvet. Golden chains hung round his neck and fell 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


27 


Upon his breast, his fingers blazed with jeweled rings, 
throughout his whole attire, even to the furniture of his 
horse, shone gems and gold. Upon one side of his 
gold-looped hat of scarlet velvet, instead of the custom- 
ary feather, was placed a broad scrip of white parch- 
ment. Another, larger and more evident, was fastened 
upon the yellow cloak, across the shoulders. Both 
placards bore in plain letters the inscription : 

“ For the Men of Chile! ” 

As he rode by he gazed up at the windows, and see- 
ing indistinctly the assembled Almagrians within, he 
held out his hat to them that they might read, grimac- 
ing meanwhile with thorough enjoyment. 

“Who is he?” Grafton Howard demanded of Al- 
magro while a furious hiss of half-restrained curses, 
amid which the young chieftain remained mute and mo- 
tionless with rage, burst from the mouths of their 
friends within the apartment. 

” ’Tis Picado, secretary to the Marquis. He is un- 
wise thus to flaunt his wealth in the eyes of starving 
men,” Diego returned with Indian impassiveness. 

The horsemen passed on and the street was again 
empty. Yet the Men of Chile did not resume their con- 
ference. All business had been transacted, and by twos 
and threes they left the house. 

“ Before you take your siesta I would speak to you, 
Senor Howard,” Diego said as the Englishman was 
about to ascend to the bedchamber the care of Juan de 
Rada had allotted to him. 

They conversed for a moment in whispers. Then 
with a nod and a laugh Grafton Howard made his way 
to his own room, closely accompanied by the red- 
visaged seaman, who all this time had remained, dis- 
trustful and immovable, in his corner. 


CHAPTER HI. 

A lady’s advice. 

While Howard discarded hat and belt, lazily extend- 
ing himself beside them upon the bed, his companion 
secured the door. The bolts adjusted to his liking, he 
advanced to a position in the center of the room, his legs 


28 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


planted wide apart and his arms placed aggressively 
akimbo. 

Howard lay for some moments surveying him witli 
eyes that danced in secret amusement, ilien, as fiery- 
face still remained uncommunicative, he himself broke 
the silence. 

“ Confess, Roaring Dick Ruggles,” he said, in tones 
of enthusiastic conviction, “ that never in the course of 
all your wanderings has it been your lot to find yourself 
in a country more suited to the wants of a cavaliero of 
fortune, or among associates more to the mind of one 
who gets his bread by the sword.” 

A brief grunt, that might have been taken either as a 
sign of concurrence or dissent, was the only response. 

“ Yes,” the young man went on. " Fate has indeed 
been kind to us. Shipwrecked, cast helpless upon a 
strand unvisited before by either, she takes us at once 
under her protecting wing. She brings to us that kind- 
ly cavalier, that ministering angel, Juan de Rada. She 
makes him enamored of us at first sight. By his 
agency she places us in a condition to rise in the 
world ” 

" As high as a lofty gallows an’ a stout bit o’ hemp 
can carry us,” broke in the hoarse, deep-chested voice 
of Roaring Dick. “ Ha’ done wi’ your foolery. Master 
Grafton. You knows as well as I does that Senor de 
Rada’s kindness went no farther at first than a try at’ 
piercin’ your body wi’ his rapier. What he promised 
when he lay upon his back wi’ your point at his throat 
I will own he have performed true to his word ; but 
if you calls him a angel. I’d like well to see your idea 
o’ a imp o’ Satan. To my mind he be a bloody-hearted 
old cut-throat.” 

“ You are uncharitable. Roaring Dick,” Grafton be- 
gan. 

“ The h — 1 I be,” Ruggles returned, adding a strong- 
er oath. “ Come, Master Grafton, you an’ me knows 
each other too well to make mistakes. Eight year have 
I sailed under your orders, eight year have ! stood by 
your luck, good or bad. Among the Frenchers, the 
Dutch, the beggarly Eyetalians, the thievin’ Spaniards 
in the low countries, I ha’ backed you like a man. We 
has been in some tight holes an’ we has come out wi' 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


29 


sound skins. But sink me ! if I sees how we ever hopes 
to leave this cursed land o’ Peru ! ” 

“ The land of gold, Dick Ruggles,” Howard re- 
minded him. “ The land where the bold soldier has 
but to stretch forth his arm to grasp the choicest 
prizes.” 

“ The arms o’ them as we stood watch wi’ in the 
room below ha’ grown uncommon thin in the stretchin’ ; 
yet I fails to see that they be overburdened wi’ what 
they ha’ gathered,” Roaring Dick grunted, contemptu- 
ously. 

” Yet it is here to gather,” Grafton said, with empha- 
sis. “ We have had full proof of that. Has the re- 
membrance of what the great galleon carried that sailed 
from Truxillo for the Isthmus a month agone. Roar- 
ing Dick, so soon escaped your memory ? ” 

” By Holy Paul ! that it has not,” the other swore 
with glittering eyes. “ When I thinks o’ the bars o’ 
gold, the ingots o’ silver, the caskets o’ emeralds she 
had aboard, my heart gets too big for my ribs to hold. 
An’ it sinks to the littleness o’ a pea when I minds 
me that all that heap o’ wealth be many a fathom deep 
in the blue water, along wi’ the hulk o’ the stout little 
‘ Freak o’ Fortune ’ ! ” 

” Aye, it was a hapless ending to our two years’ 
glorious cruise,” his captain murmured, a shade of 
regret stiffening the strong lines of his countenance. 
“ She bore us well, the saucy ‘ Freak,’ but that infernal 
hurricane was too much for her. Enough of that, we ll 
think of her no longer. Too much lies before us to 
waste our energies in looking backward. The work 
we have in hand will command the best that’s in us, 
Dick; ere long our heads and hands will seldom be 
idle.” 

“ Aye, it needs no warlock to divine that,” Ruggles 
snorted. “ The lot we ha’ fallen among be drove to 
shifts well-nigh as desperate as any I ha’ seen. ’Tis 
pity, too, for the lad Almagro. He seems a decent 
youth, despite the fact that he be half a Injun. As to 
the rest, the lads you led to Italy as recruits for the 
Grand Duke’s guards were lambs alongside o’ them. 
An’ when this marquis they talks on so much gets to 
stringin’ ’em up, as without doubt he will, ’t will be 


30 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


sore hard for me to leave the world in such company. 
I had hoped to meet Saint Peter wi’ a brisk lot o’ 
English boys at my side, but it seems like it be not 
ordered that way.” 

‘‘ You anticipate that we’ll be hanged, then. Roaring 
Dick ? ” Howard demanded, smiling. 

“ I has expected that end for the past twenty year, 
stronger than ever since I ha’ been o’ your followin’. 
Master Grafton,” the mariner returned, complacently. 

“ But you’ve still an untwisted neck, in spite of all 
the hazards you have taken with me for leader,” the 
adventurer laughed. 

“True for you. Master Grafton, Dick Ruggles stii * 
is able to wet a stout old throat were the means at 
hand,” his subordinate insinuated. 

“ The flask is emptied, Dick, alas ! ” Grafton re- 
joined, in mock despair, “ the last drop hissed upon 
your thirsty gullet long since.” 

“ Then the sooner we gets to work at securin’ the 
means o’ refillin’ it, the better contented will be the 
mind o’ Roarin’ Richard Ruggles, late master mariner 
o’ the good ship ‘ Freak o’ Fortune,’ ” was the decided 
answer. 

“ Take all the repose you can get for the rest of the 
day, Dick,” cautioned his leader, stretching out luxu- 
riously upon the bed. “ At dawn to-morrow we depart 
for the mountains, and for weeks perhaps must steer 
a wandering course in search of the rebel Peruvian 
king.” 

“ Does the Injuns manufacture anything in the line 
o’ drink ? ” Ruggles demanded, with interest. 

“ That the Senor de Rada can inform you better 
than I.” 

“ Sooner than ask him I’ll trust to mine own explo- 
rations. I hates to be beholden, even for points on the 
country to these blasted Dons. Ah! Master Grafton, 
had we but the fourscore sturdy blades that trod the 
deck o’ the gay little ‘ Freak o’ Fortune ’ a short two 
weeks since ! With them to back us we’d rule the land 
or know the reason why ! ” 

“ Though but two Englishmen amid a host of Span- 
iards, should we play our cards right we may yet be 
masters. Roaring Dick,” Grafton smiled, confidently. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 31 

“ No opportunity shall escape me, be sure of that. To- 
night 1 go abroad with the Senor Almagro. He is 
our general now, Dick ; be mindful that you owe him 
obedience.” 

“ I takes orders o’ none save Cap’n Grafton How- 
ard,” the seaman was commencing. 

“ Then the command I give you now is to follow 
my example and execute the wishes of all who may 
be for the time in authority over us. Until I give you 
the word, follow that course without venturing to tack. 
And now close that grumbling jaw of thine, and go to 
sleep if it please thee. Until to-morrow morning your 
time is your own, but be prompt at the waking me by 
daybreak.” 

Howard turned his face to the wall. Roaring Dick 
threw himself upon a cloak outspread in a corner of 
the room, whence his heavy snoring soon evinced the 
depth of his slumbers. 

The twilight of the tropics had but a short while 
deepened into the gloom of the brief period of darkness 
preceding moonrise that night, when Almagro, ac- 
companied by the Englishman, issued forth from a 
side door of his dwelling and cautiously glided along 
the street. 

Without conversation they made their way, pausing 
occasionally in the protecting depths of convenient 
doorways that straggling groups of wayfarers might 
pass them unnoticed. Rapidly they skirted the Plaza, 
passed for some distance along a broad avenue that 
led from the square, scurried swiftly among the shades 
of a narrow alleyway, and reached their destination, 
the rear wall of an extensive garden that surrounded 
a mansion of more than usual pretension. 

Over this barrier they climbed at a word from Diego, 
finding themselves, upon reaching the other side, in the 
midst of a close-growing shrubbery of fragrant flow- 
ered bushes. Here they waited for some time in 
silence. When at last the first pale beams of the ap- 
pearing moon were lightening the eastern shadows, 
Almagro breathed in Grafton Howard’s ear, “ Unless 
you hear my signal two short whistles, Senor How- 
ard, remain in this place until my return. Adios” 

Leaving the thicket the young chieftain moved 


3 ^ 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


eagerly along a straight path that led toward the house, 
keeping well hidden in the shadow of the bordering 
line of plants. A sharp turn to the left into a walk 
that branched at right angles from his first course and 
some fifty steps along it brought him to a broad open 
space containing a small pavilion, before which a foun- 
tain played merrily, sending up its sparkling jets of 
water in the strengthening rays of moonlight. To 
cross the stretch of sward and to spring within the 
building was for the lithe Diego the work of a mo- 
ment. 

“ You are here, light of mine eyes? ” he demanded, 
breathlessly, of the darkness. 

No answer was returned, and the impatient cavalier 
turned back to the doorway. Avoiding the light with- 
out, he scanned the garden and even the* house with 
anxious eyes. Five minutes passed without result. 

''Diablo! what makes her so late!” he muttered, 
restlessly grinding his boot heel upon the floor of the 
pavilion. 

A light step sounded behind him ; he wheeled about 
and a pair of warm young arms enfolded his neck. 

“ Wicked Diego ! to say such a naughty word I ” a 
delightful voice whispered, mockingly. “ Such sin de- 
serves a penance, and thus — thus — ungallant knight 
shalt thou be punished.” 

“ Cruel Rosa ! to hide and make me believe thou 
wert not here,” Almagro answered in repressed ecstasy. 
” Such unkindness deserves requital, and thus — thus — 
thus do I repay thee.” 

“Take back the last, I would not rob thee,” she 
laughed, with a long sigh of content, as their lips once 
more clung to each other. “ Ah, my Diego! .’tis good 
to be with thee here once more, ’tis such an age since 
last we spoke together.” 

“ The radiance of thy face made glad mine eyes to- 
day as I waited at the gate of Pizarro’s palace, loved 
of mine 'heart. Callest thou so few hours an age?” 
Diego reminded her. 

“ Each moment seems an age that separates us, 
qiierido. Besides, I could not do more than greet thee 
with words then. But here ” 

A long-enduring, significant silence followed. Once 
more the girl’s voice resumed. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


33 


“ That is the way I would have hailed thee to-day 
had I dared, my king! Thus would I ever welcome 
thee, my own, my Diego! For, son of the Marshal 
Almagro, I love thee, — dost hear ? I love thee.” 

” Would that thy father, the Secretary, were of the 
same mind, my Rosa,” Almagro said, mournfully. 

” He will be, never fear, when thou hast gained thy 
just inheritance from the Marquis. When thy brave 
army has conquered Chile, the sight of the wealth thou 
wilt bring back will make my father’s heart soft as 
wax toward thee,” she whispered, confidently. 

” I fear thy prophesy will never come true, little 
one,” Diego muttered. “ From all I can learn, thy 
father spares no pains to set the mind of Francisco 
Pizarro against me.” 

” Nevertheless, persevere, my Diego. Haunt the 
Marquis day and night ; give him no peace until he 
grants thy petition. Were his heart hard as porphyry, 
it surely can not refuse thee. No one could resist thee 
long, my Diego,” — the voice of Rosa was stifled anew, 
and the words lapsed into inarticulate murmurs. 

” But what dids’t thou there in the Plaza to-day, my 
Diego?” she asked, when she was free to speak once 
more. “ I know that thou sawest not the Marquis 
after I passed thee; for from his noonday meal he 
sat at the dice with my father until it was time to set 
out for their coursing.” 

“ Juan de Rada was with him,” Almagro began, but 
Rosa interrupted. 

” I like him not, that grave old tutor of thine. Ever 
he favors me with an evil glance when we meet.” 

“ He is devoted to me, Rosa, and since I love thee, 
he will be thy slave also,” Diego assured her. 

“ I care not for his homage,” the girl returned, care- 
lessly. ” But come, sit down beside me here upon the 
bench and tell me how sped thy cause as pleaded by 
him.” 

The blood throbbed hot in the cheeks of the young 
gallant, as in a low voice he related to his beloved the 
events of the afternoon. Harsh as had been the answer 
of Pizarro, it gained an added bitterness in the recount- 
ing to the Rose of Rimac. 

“ And since he sends thee such words of scorn and 


34 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


contempt, what wilt thou do, my Diego ? ” she queried 
as he finished. 

“ Events must shape my future course, loved one,” 
Almagro replied, evasively. “ Who can tell what may 
happen ? ” 

“ Could I command four hundred swords, as thou 
canst, I would make things happen,” Rosa declared, 
with impatience. ” Were I a man and in thy place, 
no one should withhold from me the inheritance of my 
father.” 

” Not even Francisco Pizarro, my Rosa? ” her lover 
laughed, mirthlessly. 

” Not even Francisco Pizarro,” the girl reiterated. 
” Were I in thy place, beloved, I should go to the Mar- 
quis, not with a prayer, but with a demand for jus- 
tice.” 

” And should thy demand meet with the same re- 
sponse as thy prayer, what then?” Almagro smiled. 

“Then, what then, my Diego? ’Tis very simple. 
In case the Marquis dared refuse my just demand — 
I should kill him, and support my act by the swords 
of my followers.” 

Rosa’s words ended in a low peal of her merry, 
childish laughter, while she bent and rubbed her cheek 
caressingly against the breast of her lover. Diego de 
Almagro, sitting with her clasped in his arms amid 
the darkness of the pavilion, did not laugh. His lips 
set in a straight line, his eyes shone strangely among 
the shadows. 

Long lingered the lovers in their bower of bliss, the 
minutes slipped away with winged feet, the time for 
Almagro’s departure came all too soon. Rosa accom- 
panied him back to the place where he had entered the 
garden ; her presence made his return ten times as 
long in covering the same space of ground. So en- 
grossed were the lovers with each other that neither 
heard the sharp snap of a twig beneath the feet of a 
shadowy figure that glided along the fringe of plants 
perhaps ten paces in their rear. The noise was not 
again repeated. At the edge of the thicket wherein 
Grafton Howard was hidden, Diego paused to say fare- 
well. 

“Thou wilt not forget my advice, my king?” his 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


35 


lady laughed, mischievously. “ Thou wilt be bolder, 
and wilt show no more fear of the Marquis ? ” 

“ Fear ! I fear no one, Rosa,” the youth protested, 
half angrily. 

“Nor Ah, my Diego, I could well believe that if 
thou hadst the face of the sehor who stood beside 
thee to-day at the palace gates. And there, I had for- 
gotten to ask thee. Who is he, this new cavalier of 
thine? His face is unknown to Ciudad de las Reyes/' 

Almagro smiled, and gave the signal agreed upon. 
The bushes parted and the Englishman stood before 
them. 

“ Question the Sehor Grafton Howard thyself, 
Rosa,” Diego said. “ In knowing his name thou hast 
obtained all that I can tell thee.” 

“ Very well. The complete history of your life at 
once, Caballero/' the girl cried, merrily, as Howard 
bowed before her. 

“ ’Twould prove burdensome and tedious to such 
lovely ears, I fear, sehorita,” Grafton answered lightly. 

“ Then you have discovered that the ears are lovely 
at last, Sehor Howard ? ’’ Diego asked, a little mali- 
ciously. “ Would you believe it, Sehorita Ricardo, he 
looked longer at the Indian who preceded her litter 
than at the Rose of Rimac ? ” 

“ And no wonder,” she returned on the instant, 
though the rose tint in her cheek deepened a trifle. 
“ My runner, Huayna, is the handsomest Indian in 
Peru. No other man in the province can equal him in 
beauty and strength of figure.” 

Almagro swore inwardly, while the Englishman’s 
lips curled with a slight smile. 

“ But you will come and look at me, I hope, some 
day, Sehor How^ard ? ” Rosa resumed. “ I hope to see 
you yet again, should your stay among us be long.” 

“ Sehor Howard leaves Ciudad de las Reyes in the 
morning, Rosa,” Diego said, before Howard could 
speak. “ He goes with Juan de Rada among the 
mountains.” 

“ And why among the mountains ? ” she demanded, 
curiously. “ Oh ! I know, I am certain of it, and noth- 
ing you can say wdll change my idea. You go to seek 
the Girdle of the Sun God ; is it not so, Sehor Howard ? 


36 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


You have taken up the adventure that so many have 
essayed and vainly thrown away their lives in trying 
to achieve. You look as if you might succeed where 
others fail. If you bring back that wondrous belt, may 
I look upon it once, only once ? ’’ 

“ Hush, Rosa, the sehor has no faith in these idle 
tales,” Almagro interrupted. “ We must away, Senor 
Howard. Adios, beloved, God guard thee! ” 

The bushes closed about them and they disappeared. 
The Rose of Rimac heard them scale the wall, and, 
certain that they had gained the other side in safety, 
retraced her steps to the house. 

For perhaps ten minutes after her departure the 
space before the thicket was untenanted. Then, from 
the spot where Almagro and Howard had vanished, a 
shape stepped forth upon the path. The rays of the 
moon revealed the form and features of the Indian 
runner, who had that day cleared the way for the litter 
of Rosa de Ricardo. 


I 


BOOK II. 

King to the Conquered. 


CHAPTER IV. 

“ THE WAY TO THE SACRED BELT LIES THROUGH THE 
VALE OF DEATH ! ” 

Late in the afternoon of the fifth day’s journey, Juan 
de Rada, riding in the advance, checked his wearied 
mule and allowed the beast of Grafton Howard to come 
abreast of him upon the mountain pathway. 

“ A surprise awaits you at the end of to-day’s stage, 
Sehor Howard,” he said. “ Ere sunset we shall attain 
the habitation of an old friend of mine, who, strange to 
relate, is of the same nation as yourself.” 

“ Of a truth ? and how comes an Englishman to be 
dwelling here among the mountains of Peru ? ” How- 
ard queried, without much interest. 

His failure to arouse the curiosity of his stalwart 
companion gave evident displeasure to the Spanish 
cavalier. Biting his lip he returned, in dry tones : 

“ He will probably ask how it comes that an English- 
man is traveling with me amid the same mountains.” 

” As will be his undisputed privilege,” Grafton 
answered, calmly. “ So long as he gives us bed, board, 
and a hearty welcome, I shall not quarrel at his curios- 
ity.” 

” Doubtless he will evince but little,” De Rada has- 
tened to say, ” for the Senor Shoreham takes small 
concern in the affairs of others in the world besides 
himself.” 

” Shoreham ! I once knew a cavalier of that name 
when serving in the forces of the Genoese in Italy,” 
the Englishman averred. ” Yet there are many Shore- 
hams in England,” he added. 


38 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ This gentleman has of years some two or three 
past fifty,” went on De Rada. “ He is an accomplished 
man-at-arms, and came to Peru along with the adven- 
turers who joined the standard of old Diego Almagro. 
After the return from Chile he settled in the valley we 
are now approaching, where he has since created a 
thriving plantation.” 

“He has a family?” Grafton Howard demanded. 

” But one child, a daughter, for whom he sent to 
Europe after establishing him^self here. Her name is 
Isabel,” and Juan de Rada cast a swift, searching 
glance at Howard’s face. 

“ Aye, the Shoreham I knew had a daughter called 
thus; a mere child she was ten years ago,” Grafton 
rejoined, with composure. ” By now she should be a 
beautiful woman, that is, if she resembled her mother.” 

“Beautiful? Well, perchance an Englishman 
might call her so,” De Rada observed, critically. “ She 
has not such loveliness, for instance, as has the Rose 
of Rimac.” 

” For which she may, perhaps, have cause to be 
thankful,” answered Howard. 

A smile parted Juan de Rada’s lips, and he bestowed 
a kindly glance upon the adventurer, which was almost 
immediately replaced by an expression of melancholy, 
as with a deep sigh he pensively observed : 

“ I would that others were of the same mind as 
yourself, Senor Howard. But what is to happen, will 
be in spite of all. Forward, then, to the estate of the 
Senor Shoreham, where I can assure all a hearty wel- 
come.” 

“ At least, since he be English, he’ll not fail to give 
us drink,” muttered Roaring Dick Ruggles, who, with- 
Geronimo de Alvarado had ridden up and heard the 
greater part of the conversation. 

Though he had betrayed no emotion, the prospect of 
seeing once more an old acquaintance gave keen de- 
light to Grafton Howard. The certainty that for one 
night at least they would be comfortably cared for was 
pleasing also. Since leaving Ciudad de las Reyes their 
route had lain through the rugged and forbidding Cor- 
dilleras, skirting at times the belt of yellow pajonal that 
lay just below the region of perpetual snows, plunging 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


39 


anon into the depths of narrow ravines, where the rays 
of the sun scarcely penetrated. 

For nearly five days they had toiled onward into the 
heart of the Andes, following roads that ever and again 
sorely tried the legs of the sure-footed mules that car- 
ried them. Traversing tfie fastnesses of gloomy for- 
ests, picking their path along the edges of frightful 
quebradas, those thousand-fathom deep cracks in the 
earth, crossing the courses of impassable mountain tor- 
rents upon frail appearing suspension bridges of osiers, 
they had pushed tirelessly into the interior. No fel- 
low-travelers had they met upon the way, as the road 
chosen by de Rada was known to few besides the In- 
dians, and of these last not one had been seen ; to their 
great regret, for they relied upon an encounter with 
some party of natives to give them the information 
that would direct them where to seek the Inca. 

Two hours more of riding along an unvarying but 
gentle descent brought them to a level pass between two 
ranges of towering heights, and, suddenly rounding a 
spur of the mountain, they emerged into a wide and 
fertile valley, ‘well watered by a rivulet that extended 
throughout nearly its entire length, and then seemed to 
plunge directly into the bowels of the earth. 

On either side of the stream spread out flourishing 
fields of potatoes and Indian maize, varied by pasture 
lands for the llama, the Peruvian sheep. In the center 
of the valley, upon a stretch of sward that rose imper- 
ceptibly from the bed of the brook, the low-walled, 
single-storied but spacious dwelling of the Senor Shore- 
ham, with its various stables and granaries, were ap- 
parent under the rays of the fast declining sun. 

The house had been erected upon the crest of the 
slight elevation, and contained at least thirty rooms, all 
opening into an interior court. Together with its at- 
tendant out-buildings, it was composed of walls of the 
native Peruvian bricks, roofed with thick thatches of 
straw. A ten-foot stockade, framed from trees of the 
forest, pointed at the tops and set close together, sur- 
rounded the whole. 

The coming of the travelers had apparently been 
noted upon their entering the valley ; for as they rode 
through the gate of this exterior fortification, the pro- 


40 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


prietor emerged from the house and advanced to greet 
them. 

Powerful, though somewhat stout of body, the tall 
frame of the Senor Shoreham seemed well able to bear 
the fatigues imposed upon a dweller in the wilderness. 
Harsh and forbidding of feature, a merry light never- 
theless shone in his full blue eyes, while his firm, 
bearded lips were relaxed in a smile of genuine pleas- 
ure at seeing his guests. His dress was simple and un- 
pretending in cut and materials — a doublet and hose 
of brown-dyed wool of the llama, unfeathered cap 
of the same, and high boots of untanned leather reach- 
ing to the middle of the thigh. Save a broad dagger at 
his belt, he carried no weapons. 

“ Now, by Saint George of England! but you are 
welcome, old Juan de Rada ! ” he cried, heartily. “ I 
am just in the mood for long talks about the desert of 
Atacama, the toils and adventures of the hills of Chile. 
Dismount, you and yours, hasten to stable your beasts, 
and get to table. For by the time you’ve seen to the 
wants of the animals the evening meal will be ready for 
us.” * 

Grafton Howard leaped from his saddle, approaching 
his countryman with extended hand. 

“ A fair, good-even to you. Captain Shoreham,” he 
said, as he came forward. “ To encounter an ancient 
messmate here in the new world is strange indeed.” 

The older Englishman started at hearing these words, 
voiced in his native tongue. 

“ The surprise is not all on your side, master trav- 
eler,” he answered, bluntly. “ For may I be hanged 
if I can place you or recall in what part of the world I 
have known you. Still you are welcome, all the same.” 

“ Fie I Captain Shoreham. that years should thus steal 
away thy memory ! Hast forgot the Friar’s Pass in the 
Apennines and the stripling that stood by thee in the 
affair of the Marchese di Ferrato? ” 

“ Saint Paul and Saint Peter ! that have I not ; and 
little am I to blame if in the great cavalier before me I 
did not recognize thee, Giddy Grafton,” Shoreham 
cried, wringing the hand of Howard with hearty fervor. 
“ The years have changed my little ensign past all belief. 
And what brought thee to this quarter of the globe ? ” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


41 


“ A. desire for gold, a stout ship, an unexpected 
storm, the Sehor de Rada, and yonder tired mule,” 
Grafton answered, laconically. “To the wants of the 
last I will at once attend ere we talk further.” 

“ Surely, surely,” Shoreham agreed. “ Follow me, 
Caballeros, my stables are at your service.” 

“ You have not forgotten Isabel? ” Shoreham asked, 
as, having seen their mules comfortably established for 
the night, they made their way toward the house. “ You 
remember my girl, your little sweetheart, as you called 
her, in the old days of Genoa ? ” 

“ Surely not,” Grafton answered, with a smile at the 
remembrance. “ I make no doubt that I would recog- 
nize her on the instant, wherever we might chance to 
meet.” 

Yet five minutes later the mind of Grafton Howard 
was destined to be shaken in this opinion. 

Could this be the little Isabel Shoreham, the childish 
hoyden whom he so, well recalled as the idol of the 
rough troopers who followed her father, this proud, 
self-contained young woman of twenty who wore, with 
the air of a duchess, the plain gown of dark blue wool 
that sat- close to her erect, supple figure? The gray eyes 
set in the pure, pale face with its straight nose and 
generous, lovable mouth, all framed in a wreath of glo- 
rious seal-brown hair, shone with unmistakable pleas- 
ure as she met them upon the wide veranda that ran 
around three sides of the courtyard. 

“ My father need not tell me who you are,” she said, 
as she put out her firm white fingers to be grasped by 
the eager hand of Howard. “ Child as I was then, the 
days at Genoa I still remember. You were very good 
to me then.” 

“ As I should have been to my little wife, the title 
you always insisted upon my giving you,” Grafton 
ventured, boldly. “ You have forgotten that, no 
doubt?” 

“ Perhaps,” she answered, shortly, and then turned 
from him to greet the other new arrivals. 

The supper of the Shorehams was bountiful, and the 
meal lasted long. The travelers ate with appetites made 
voracious by their toils amid the rare atmosphere of the 
mountains. Yet the eyes of Grafton Howard were sel- 


42 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


dom Upon his plate, their constant glances being busied 
with the face and form of Isabel. 

He was not alone in this preoccupation. The ardent 
orbs of the handsome Geronimo de Alvarado also fol- 
lowed every motion of the young woman with a gaze of 
interest and ever-increasing admiration. 

As for Roaring Dick Ruggles, he worshiped also, 
but at a dififerent shrine. Securing one of the several 
great flagons fllled with the fermented juice of the 
maize that graced the board, he applied himself de- 
votedly to its contents. At the end of the meal he was 
satisfled to be shown at once to a sleeping-chamber, 
whence his stertorous snores soon rolled like far-off 
muttering thunders. 

The evening passed in reminiscent conversation be- 
tween old Shoreham, Grafton Howard, and Juan de 
Rada ; while Alvarado sat in contented silence, em- 
ployed in feasting his eyes upon the visage of Isabel, 
who, having superintended the clearing of the table by 
the native servants, had glided to a seat upon a low 
stool beside the knee of her father, before the fire that 
the cool air of the mountains made grateful to all. The 
girl did not attempt to join in the talk, remaining ab- 
sorbed in seeming contemplation of the blaze, though 
occasionally Howard, glancing in her direction, would 
find that she was earnestly regarding him. 

The party was about to separate for the night when 
Shoreham observed : 

“ I have not asked what has moved your journey 
hither, Juan de Rada, nor do I wish to know unless you 
care to tell me. Yet I hope, for the sake of my old 
friend and countryman, that ’tis no affair of that cursed 
belt of the Sun God ? ” 

“ I am no child to seek for gold at the foot of the 
rainbow, as you should know, Senor Shoreham. Our 
errand, though perhaps no lass hazardous, has for its 
end a reasonable object. I will talk further with you 
on this subject in private,” De Rada returned. 

Grafton Howard was not content to let the matter 
pass. 

“ I have heard tell of the belt you mention, old cap- 
tain of mine,” he interrupted. “ Bare reference to it 
was all, however, and I would know more. Cans’t give 
me the story? ” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


43 


“ Any fool in Peru can tell thee more of it than I, 
Grafton lad,” answered Shoreham. “ The brains of 
many have gone mad on the tale, and their lives have 
been thrown away in consequence. Yet since you know 
it not, I will endeavor to satisfy your wish for infor- 
mation. 

“ When Hernando Pizarro held the Inca Manco cap- 
tive at Cuzco,” he resumed, “ stories began to reach the 
ears of the Spaniards of art undiscovered temple among 
the mountains, consecrated to the worship of the God 
of Day. Its treasures, the natives said, were beyond 
belief, rivaling the splendors of the great Coricancha 
at Cuzco, where, as you may have heard, the soldiers of 
the conquest got enormous booty. Chief among its 
wonders, venerated and prized as much for its associa- 
tions as for its value, was the gorgeous girdle that en- 
folded the waist of the idol. ’Twas a present from the 
God himself to the first Inca, the Peruvians claimed, 
and the splendor of the jewels, set in massy gold that 
composed it, was such that ’twere full recompense for a 
life of virtuous deeds to be allowed to behold its mag- 
nificence for a single moment. What think you of that, 
Grafton Howard ? ” 

The Peruvians, it would seem, are easily re- 
warded,” the young man smiled. “ Go on.” 

“ The story was told to Hernando Pizarro, who had 
ever a keen greed for gold,” continued Shoreham. 
'' Through some strange quality of his nature, he had 
always treated the captive sovereign of the Indians with 
kindness. At once he visited his prisoner, inquiring if 
the report of the hidden sanctuary were true. Manco 
assured him that the wonders of the temple had not 
been half recounted. Statues of his ancestors, all of 
pure gold, were there enshrined, he affirmed. Inflamed 
by his artful descriptions, Hernando Pizarro accepted 
eagerly the offer of the Inca to go in person and return 
with proof of the temple’s existence. Manco was al- 
lowed to leave Cuzco for the mountains, accompanied 
only by two Spanish soldiers.” 

“ Who doubtless confirmed the tale of the mighty 
treasure,” laughed Howard, “ by being themselves dis- 
covered piece-meal by those sent afterward.” 

“ Nay, lad, you wrong the Inca there,” Shoreham re- 


44 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


plied. “ A week after their going, as Manco did not 
return, Hernando sent out his brother Juan with a 
body of horse to seek for the prince. In the vale of 
Yucay he met with the two troopers that had formed 
his escort. Surprised in the mountains by Indian war- 
riors, their prisoner had been taken from them. Yet 
he spared their lives, and fulfilling his word to Pizarro, 
he had brought them to the sight of a shrine whose 
glories were beyond the belief of man. Where it lay 
they knew not, for precaution had been taken to blind- 
fold them. During the war that followed, the soldiers 
perished ; yet they left rude maps of what they believed 
to be the path to the hidden treasure, and since then 
there have been many expeditions in quest of it.” 

“ With no result, of course,” Grafton said, as he rose 
from his chair in preparation to seek his bed. 

“ Those who seek the girdle of the Sun God never 
return,” Shoreham replied, positively, and with wishes 
for mutual repose, the adventurers retired. 

Sleep, however, held herself aloof from the couch of 
Grafton Howard. Try as he would, he could not at- 
tain her refreshing kingdom. At last, disgusted and 
sick of his efforts, he left his room, passed through the 
courtyard, and wandered slowly toward the stable. 

Here, his inspection and proffered caress to the mule 
assigned as his own for the time by Juan de Rada being 
rewarded by a vicious kick, that he had some difficulty 
in avoiding, he was about to betake himself once more 
to the outer air, when a spectacle that met his eye as he 
reached the doorway made him pause upon the thres- 
hold. 

Across the broad space between the building and the 
wall of the stockade, a weird, uncanny shape was ad- 
vancing, clear and distinct in the mellow light of the 
moon that illuminated the cloudless sky. It had the 
body of a man of great strength and size ; but upon the 
mighty shoulders the huge head of a condor reared 
itself. The bare, sinewy arms, the powerful legs, pro- 
tected over the shins by the straps and laces of the san- 
dals that shod the feet, the bulk of the athletic form 
under the woolen tunic and the breastplate of tempered 
copper that covered the deep chest, all were remarked 
by Grafton Howard as this strange apparition of the 
night approached the stable. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


45 


A short, heavy sword and a quiver of arrows hung 
from the belt around the waist. A wide shield was 
swung across the back, and jutting over the right 
shoulder appeared one end of a powerful bow. 

The Englishman’s weapons, even to his dagger, had 
been left beside his bed. Nevertheless, when the mid- 
night visitor was scarce a rod distant, Grafton Howard 
stepped suddenly into the moonlight and confronted 
him. 

“ You walk late, Sehor Goblin,” he said, mockingly, 
in Spanish. 

More words he had not time to utter, for, without 
hesitation, not even staying to grasp his sword, the fig- 
ure leaped fiercely at the adventurer and sought to seize 
his throat. 

He had assailed an adversary well-versed in every 
kind of personal encounter. Evading with ease the 
strong fingers that would so willingly have closed his 
windpipe, the Englishman met his attacker body to 
body, compressing his ribs in a mighty hug. As they 
closed thus breast against breast, beneath the protrud- 
ing beak of the condor head, Grafton Howard dimly 
discerned the scowling visage and rage-inflamed eyes 
of an Indian warrior. 

Viciously, but in silence, the two men struggled, each 
striving to bear the other to the earth. The tricks of 
the wrestler were apparently well-known to both, the 
cunning turn of hand or foot from one being instantly 
evaded by the nimble evolutions of the other. In the 
straining muscles of each lay enormous power. The 
furious efforts of the Peruvian were met and foiled by 
the stern strength of the Englishman. 

Back and forth the combatants swayed and staggered 
in the moonlight, the thud of their feet deadened by the 
thick carpet of grass beneath them. No word or cry 
escaped the chest of either, only their long, deep breaths 
began to be broken at times by involuntary gasps. The 
perspiration gathered thick upon the broad forehead of 
Grafton Howard, while the bronzed arms, that wound 
him round so tightly were shining like silver serpents. 

Suddenly they came headlong to the earth, the Eng- 
lishman uppermost. With the next second Howard 
had leaped to his feet. 


46 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ Get up,” he panted, in a voice thick from his en- 
deavors. “ The fall was not a fair one. You slipped. 
Rise and we’ll try the issue once more.” 

His opponent was not slow to regain a standing posi- 
tion ; but instead of attacking again he deliberately 
folded his arms across his breast. 

“ Even did I not know you are no Spaniard, sehor,” 
he said, in excellent Spanish, “ the spirit you have 
shown would tell me you do not belong to that accursed 
race. There is no need that our struggle should pro- 
ceed farther.” 

“ Aye, but there is,” the Englishman broke in. “ You 
owe me an explanation of why you are prowling thus 
about the stable of my friend Shoreham.” 

“ As I willingly forego my intention of helping my- 
self to a beast to bear me on my journey,” the warrior 
replied, ” I believe you will see that you have nothing 
more to ask me.” 

■ Ah, if that were your purpose,” Grafton smiled, 
“ I am content to take your promise that none of the 
animals shall be molested. I have felt your grip, I have 
heard your voice, and I know that you are neither cow- 
ard nor liar.” * 

” You are a man, Sehor Grafton Howard,” the In- 
dian said, solemnly. “ Start not that I call you by 
name. I will astonish you still more. In company 
with Juan de Rada you seek the presence of the Inca 
Manco, the rightful ruler of the land from Quito to 
Chile.” 

“How know you that?” the amazed Howard de- 
manded. 

“ It matters not to you. Enough that I am aware of 
your purpose, and will help you in your quest. Ere 
you have traveled a mile on your way to-morrow, a 
guide shall meet you, who will lead you direct to the 
sovereign of my people. Speak to him fair and without 
concealment, and be at ease as to what you hope. For 
of a surety the Inca would gladly aid the cause of the 
young Almagro.” 

“ Diablo ! you must be a wizard, to know the reason 
of our journey,” Grafton ejaculated. 

“ Perchance I am. If you believe me to be such, pay 
heed to the warning I now give you, Senor Grafton 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


47 


Howard. You have heard, from the fairest lips in the 
world, a whisper of the phantom that has lured so many 
Spaniards to destruction. Pursue your ambitions bold- 
Ij) fight hard and strongly against the Marquis, attain 
to wealth and power if you are able. But let the Girdle 
of the Sun God have no place in your dreams of for- 
tune. For, Sehor Howard, the way to the Sacred Belt 
lies through the Vale of Death ! ” 


CHAPTER V. 

THE WORSHIPERS OF THE SUN. 

And you would leave us so soon, after the ten long 
years that have passed since last you saw us? ” Isabel 
Shoreham asked of Grafton Howard next morning as 
they stood together in the court, awaiting the arrival of 
the mules that her father’s Peruvian slaves were pre- 
paring for the road at the stables. 

“ As a soldier’s daughter you should know that when 
the trumpet sounds for duty there is no delaying, Isa- 
bel,” her companion answered, slowly. 

” Yes, I know ; but I had hoped that your stay with 
us would be longer,” she said, simply. “ There is much 
that I would ask you ; there must be many things that 
have happened to you in all these years that I should 
enjoy hearing you recount.” 

“ You had not altogether forgotten me, then, Isa- 
bel? ” Grafton demanded. “ You have thought of me 
sometimes ? ” 

“ And why should I forget you ? ” the girl asked, 
wonderingly. “ Were you not the kindest friend of my 
childhood? Did you spare any means to divert and 
amuse me ? Had you not always a smile and a pleasant 
word for me, little torment as I must have been? Was 
not part of your scanty pay wasted in buying me toys 
and trinkets ? Children remember long, especially when 
the remembered one was a giver of presents.” 

Howard laughed. 

“ I can not say that the gifts I made you ever put 
me to any serious inconvenience,” he said. “ In those 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


days you were easily contented ; a kiss met with the 
same acceptance as a doll. Now, perhaps, nothing 
would satisfy you save the Peruvian idol’s belt to circle 
that slender waist.” 

” Far less than that,” she smiled. Then noticing the 
expression of his eyes, she suddenly laid her hand upon 
his arm. 

“You have no idea of going in search of that ter- 
rible treasure, Master Howard ? ” she asked, anxiously. 
“ Yon will never be so foolish as to venture your life 
upon this idle fallacy of the gold-mad Spaniards ? ” 

“ Yet if it exists, Isabel, and I can succeed in ob- 
taining it, would you not like to have it?” he ques- 
tioned, lightly. 

“ Don’t talk so,” the girl replied with a slight shud- 
der. “ The subject is terrible, at least to me. So many 
lives, that might have been spent to better purpose, have 
been thrown away in this insane adventure. So many 
women have been made to mourn the deaths of gallant 
knights that have undertaken it at their bidding. No, 
Master Howard, be sure that Isabel Shoreham never 
sighs to be mistress of the wondrous girdle of the God 
of the Peruvians.” 

A swift memory of the longing desire to behold the 
treasure, even for an instant, expressed by the Rose of 
Rimac, flashed through Grafton Howard’s brain and 
caused him to smile. 

“ Be assured, Isabel,” he said, “ that my present jour- 
ney, at least, is upon another matter. The story of the 
hidden temple I never heard until last night.” 

“ Dismiss it from your brain at once then, I beg of 
you,” Isabel earnestly implored him. “ Dwell not upon 
the thought of it, lest its subtle fascination drive you 
mad like the others. Bend all your faculties to accom- 
plishing the errand that has brought you among the 
mountains. ’Tis upon matters of grave importance 
that you travel, is it not so. Master Howard ? ” 

“ And why should you think thus, Isabel? ” Grafton 
asked, carelessly. “ Surely, neither myself nor my com- 
panions have the air of being weighed down by our 
responsibilities ? ” 

“ The Sehor de Rada talked late with my father in 
his own room last night after fehe rest of you went to 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


49 


bed, she answered. “ They have been together since 
daybreak, and even now, as they approach us from the 
stables, they are conversing earnestly. Tell me. Master 
Howard, is it likely that' he can be trying to engage my 
father in your plan ? ” 

“ Aye, like enough, Mistress Isabel,” the young man 
muttered. “ Though I have not known him for long, 
‘ I can plainly see that all is fish that comes to the net of 
Juan de Rada.” 

^ “And will there be danger?” the girl demanded, 
eagerly. " Will there be risk to him if Ee yield to the 
persuasions of yonder Spaniard ? ” 

“ No more than he has often cheerfully accepted, 

■ Isabel,” Howard smiled, assuringly. “ Come, you must 
be aware that your father is not the sort of man to live 
quietly by his fireside when he may better his condi- 
tion by action abroad.” 

‘‘ But we are so happy here,” she said, wistfully, 
“ and he seems so content in our mountain home. I 
had thought that his wanderings and adventures were 
ended, and that he would be satisfied to remain here in 
quiet with me. We have all that we need,” she added, 
feebly. 

“ All that you need, Isabel ? ” Grafton repeated, with 
a strong emphasis on the pronoun. 

” All,” she replied, positively, raising her clear eyes 
to his with earnest conviction. “ I could not ask for 
more than I have now.” 

” Nay, so fair a lady should not lack a devoted 
knight,” Howard smiled, with perhaps a shade less of 
his customary cynical indiflference. “ These forest- 
covered hills seem somewhat bare of gallant cavaliers.” 

” Do you and your friend De Alvarado count for 
nothing then ? ” she asked, a flash of subtle coquetry 
lighting her face for an instant. “ Nay, Master How- 
ara, i did but jest. Gallants have I none, nor in truth 
do I wish for them. They are a great bother, I can tell 
you. But the others approach and you must take the 
road. Farewell, and may your journey be successful. 
When it is ended, remember that we shall always be 
glad to see you here whenever you care to come.” 

“ I shall return, Isabel,” he answered, simply. Then, 
pressing her hand, he moved away toward the now wait- 


50 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


ing mules, giving place to Geronimo de Alvarado, who 
advanced to bid adieu to their young hostess. 

“ Have they anything to fear from the Indians, 
father?” Isabel asked as she stood with old Shoreham 
and watched the cavaliers ride briskly up the valley 
and disappear in the thick forest to the north. 

“ They may laugh at small bands, and large parties 
they are not apt to meet,” the old soldier returned. 
“ ’Tis said that the Inca has for some months been hov- 
ering about Cuzco. With the arms they have, the four 
should be a match for an hundred Peruvians.” 

Indeed, the travelers were well equipped. The scanty 
store of weapons possessed by the Almagrians at 
Ciudad de las Reyes, however inadequate to the fur- 
nishing of an army, had been well able to supply the 
wants of the small party led by Juan de Rada. 

All were strongly cased in defensive armor, the bright 
headpieces, cuirasses, and the jointed plates that cov- 
ered their thighs, gleaming in the sunlight with a luster 
thab spoke volumes for the zealous attention bestowed 
upon the metal by Roaring Richard Ruggles. Each 
man, besides sword and dagger, carried an arquebuse 
of the latest pattern, brought from Spain, the car- 
tridges for the weapons hanging from the stout leathern 
shoulder-belts that crossed their chests. The late mas- 
ter-mariner of the “ Freak of Fortune ” likewise bore 
at his saddle-bow a short-handled, wide-bladed board- 
ing axe, an ugly weapon in hands accustomed to wield- 
ing it. 

The adventure of the previous night Howard made 
known to his leader ere they had been a mile upon the 
road. Juan de Rada was lound in his expressions of 
satisfaction upon learning that they were to be guided 
to the camp of the Inca Manco. 

“ The star of Diego de Almagro is rising,” he cried, 
exultantly. “ May the planet of Pizarro likewise be 
whirling toward a speedy fall.” 

The morning was half spent and they were still push- 
ing sturdily onward, when a Peruvian warrior suddenly 
stepped from a clump of bushes and stood in the path 
before them. 

Fully armed for battle with the long lance, the bow 
and quiver of arrows, the short sword and circular 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


51 

buckler of his nation, the body of the Indian was pro- 
tected only by a quilted breastplate of wool, and a broad 
green sash that encircled his loins. The feather secured 
among the matted locks of coarse black hair that fell 
upon his shoulders, was likewise green in color, indicat- 
ing with the sash to what battalion of the Inca’s army 
he was attached. Sturdy and vigorous of build, he yet 
lacked distinction in his bearing, being plainly of no 
higher rank than a private soldier. 

“ It is peace,” he declared, raising his right arm high, 
with the palm of the hand opened toward the wayfarers. 

” I am he whom you look for, and if the white heroes 
will follow, they shall be led whither they wish to go.” 

” You are sent to us, then ? ” Juan de Rada, who was 
conversant with the dialects of the natives, demanded, 
in the man’s own tongue. 

“ By one that you know of. Will you follow ? ” 

“ We will. Know only that if the path lead into a 
snare, there is one warrior at least who will never boast • 
of the matter afterward,” De Rada warned him. 

The Peruvian bowed his head in signal of under- 
standing, turned abruptly upon his heel and led them 
deeper into the wilderness. Throughout the day they 
followed, scarce halting for a hasty meal at noonday. 
Rough and dangerous was the path, and when they at 
last made their camp late in the evening, the fatigues 
undergone brought speedy slumber to man and beast. 

They were afoot with the dawn, and their scanty 
breakfast was speedily dispatched. Another day of ar- 
duous travel succeeded, their guide plunging them so 
continually into the fastnesses of the mountains that 
even Juan de Rada, though a skilled and experienced 
woodsman, was fain to confess that he had no knowl- 
edge of their whereabouts. Again they camped be- 
neath the stars, continuing their march at daybreak on 
the third day. 

Evening brought no cessation to their progress. To 
the suggestion from Juan de Rada that enough had 
been accomplished for that day, the guide answered by 
shaking his head and urging them still onward. The 
sun had set and the shadows were fast thickening into 
the gloom of night, yet the Peruvian continued to climb 
the narrow path ascending a lofty mountain, whose 


52 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


steep they had been breasting for some hours. A rope 
held by the warrior, and passed back to those behind, 
aided them to pursue his footsteps. 

Soon black night enfolded them as with a shroud. 
The cries of birds of the forest, awakened by their pas- 
sage, came to their ears, the distant scream of the 
jaguar made still more appalling the dismal thoughts 
evoked by the gloomy solitudes they were traversing. 

The path grew narrower, the leaves and branches of 
underbrush were rubbing the boots and cracking 
against the sides of the mules, bestridden by the ad- 
venturers. Still upward they stumbled in the night. 

To the confining sides of the thicket a sense of wider 
space suddenly succeeded. The hoofs rang sharply on 
a floor of rock, the air was thicker and possessed more 
dampness than the rarefied atmosphere of the moun- 
tains. Abruptly the guide called out for them to halt. 

A few moments later the murky glare of a torch 
flashed in his hand across the darkness, and holding it 
high above his head he again started forward. By the 
fitful light the cavaliers perceived that they were rid- 
ing along a lofty gallery that human hands had hol- 
lowed with no slight labor in the living rock. 

Straight into the heart of the mountain the tunnel 
bored its way, the blackness giving way before them 
as they advanced and closing in behind them as a wall. 
Without turn or twist they rode directly forward, the 
hollow clang of hoofs echoing from the roof and walls 
of the cavern in melancholy rhythm that confused the 
brains of the horsemen and made them lose all track 
of time or distance. 

On a sudden an obstacle rose beyond them in the 
torchlight, a huge gate from whose massive bars the 
red rays of the flambeau, flashed back in dazzling 
brightness, filled the cave and forbade farther advance. 
The guide conversed earnestly in his own tongue with 
Juan de Rada. 

“ I have given him my word, Caballeros/' the latter 
said presently, as the Indian turned from him and 
approached the barrier, “ that in the building we shall 
presently attain no one of us will attempt to approach 
the windows, and that all will be content to consume 
our well-earned meal and go quietly to rest.” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


53 


The gate crashed grimly back as he finished speak- 
ing, the Peruvian silently motioned them to ride on. 
They passed the barrier and checked their mules in 
the midst of a great, bare-walled apartment, across 
whose stone floor fell long shafts of light from the 
now risen moon, penetrating through the narrow win- 
dows set high in the sides, and the bars of a second 
door similar to the one they had just left behind. 

The latter secured, the Indian speedily kindled a 
fire. The mules were led into one corner and tethered 
to rings that were set in the rough granite walls. The 
cavaliers ate with hearty appetite, and then, wrapped 
in their cloaks, they stretched themselves with their 
feet to the blaze, and were quickly asleep. 

The moonlight was gone and all was gloom without 
when the Peruvian shook them by the shoulders, bid- 
ding them rise and once more take the* road. The pa- 
tient mules were led forth through the second gate, 
and the cayaliers, mounting in haste, rode after the 
guide down a wide avenue cut in the mountain side, 
once more breathing the open air that carried with 
it the chill of approaching dawn. 

The descent continued perhaps fifteen minutes, being 
succeeded by a level stretch of road along which the 
Indian hurried, calling out for the mules to trot. After 
him they spurred, noticing finally that they were again 
proceeding up a gentle elevation. The guide stopped 
at length, requesting them to halt likewise and to re- 
main silent. 

All about them stretched the shadows, unfathom- 
able, unyielding to their straining eyeballs. To right 
and to left, before and behind, from out tl^e night, a 
curious, indefinable murmur arose, a weird, unrestful 
sound like the troubled breathing of some mighty giant. 
The darkness seemed instinct and teeming with vitality, 
beneath its veil the pulse of fervent, ever-changing, 
victorious existence appeared to beat ; yet in the gloom 
no living being could the cavaliers discern. Breath- 
less, impatient, they grasped their arquebuses more 
firmly and waited for what might come. 

Thin, clear, unearthly in its measured notes, a high- 
pitched, solemn voice began to sing from out the night, 
distant or near, they could not determine. Sad and 


54 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


melancholy, the lines proceeded in lugubrious regular 
cadence. The first verse finished a slight pause inter- 
vened, and then a score of tongues took up the chant, 
rising and falling upon the ears of the astonished lis- 
teners in accents ever strengthening, ever more distinct. 
Again they paused, and with the third verse a hundred 
voices more sustained the strain, that with each pro- 
gressing note seemed to gain liveliness and vigor. 

Plaintive, complaining in their tone at their begin- 
ning, the stanzas gradually assumed a haughtier, more 
martial sound. After every pause the song was re- 
sumed, strengthened and intensified by the addition 
of more and ever more fervently chanting voices. Still 
the four horsemen, obedient to their guide’s injunction, 
sat silent in their saddles, awaiting in impatient curios- 
ity the outcome of this unexpected development of their 
adventure. 

A faint rosy line appeared in the east, momentarily 
increasing, until against its brightening background 
the crests of lofty mountains were revealed. Redder 
and redder flushed the dawn, yet around the cavaliers 
profoundest darkness reigned. 

Higher, fiercer, more thrilling in its weirdly piercing 
strain swelled the mysterious chant. Of a sudden it 
ceased, seemed to rest as if to gather strength, and 
then, as the broad orb of the sun burst triumphantly 
above the towering wall of heights, it filled the air once 
more in full-tongued, thundering chorus. 

As if by magic the night had disappeared. The 
envoys of Almagro found themselves upon the summit 
of a slight hillock rising at a distance of perhaps an 
hundred yards from the shore of a wide, shimmering 
lake that with its expanse of placidly tranquil waters 
filled the greater part of an extensive plateau, walled 
in and separated from the wilderness without by the 
protecting barriers of the mighty Andes. 

Far to the right, set off by thriving fields of culti- 
vated land whose burden of waving maize glowed 
bright green and gold in the morning sunshine, the 
walls and white buildings of an Indian city rose from 
the very border of the lake. 

In the level stretch of plain that spread about the 
little elevation occupied by the adventurers was massed 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


55 


the population of the town. The sunlight flashed upon 
the dusky features, straight black hair, gay cotton or 
vvoolen tunics of hundreds of Peruvian citizens of both 
sexes ; it glittered likewise over the serried ranks of a 
gallant Indian army, accurately aligned in its several 
battalions, above which rose a forest of bristling 
weapons and waving standards; while citizens and 
soldiers together, rapt and absorbed in their adoration, 
intoned with all the fervor of blind idolatry their 
clamorous welcome to the King of Day. 


CHAPTER VI. 

THE SACRED ISLE. 

The disgusted voice of Roaring Richard Ruggles 
dispelled the amazement that for the moment had 
seized upon the cavaliers. 

“Sink me!” he ejaculated, fervently, “if them 
filthy heathen Injuns be not goin’ to take their mornin’ 
draught for all the world as if they was of Christian 
blood! Dost think it like. Master Grafton, that there 
be chance of our sharin’ in the liquor? ” 

“ Pm afraid not. Roaring Dick,” his countryman 
returned, smiling. “ The drink thou seest them pre- 
pare appears to be part of their religious ceremonial.” 

“ Sayest thou so. Master Grafton ? ” his henchman 
muttered. “ Nay, their creed, then, can be no such bad 
affair after all. Belike they’d not be loath to gain a 
convert.” 

“ Hush, Dick Ruggles, and watch their proceedings,” 
Howard interrupted, with impatience. 

From out the mass of citizens that filled the plain 
to the right in the direction of the city, a strange pro- 
cession now advanced, filing steadily forward into the 
open space upon the lake shore directly before the 
hillock, with steps slow, solemn, and modulated in per- 
fect time to the notes of the still resounding chant. 

A score of Indian priests came first, their scarlet 
mantles of vicuna wool ablaze with golden representa- 
tions of the Sun and his attendant planets. Two and 


56 THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 

two they walked, their hands uplifted in salutation to 
their adored luminary, their sonorous voices fervently 
intoning his triumphant praises. 

Behind them, surrounded by attendants bearing huge 
vases of gold and silver, escorted by an orderly succes- 
sion of youths and maidens gayly wreathed in flowers, 
who carried cups of the same precious metals, a tall 
old man of powerful figure advanced alone. 

Upon the abundant tresses of his snow white hair 
was set a golden tiara, thickly encrusted with emeralds. 
His many-colored cloak and long tunic of scarlet were 
almost hidden beneath a wealth of gold and silver em- 
broidery, shining throughout its tracery with divers 
precious stones. Golden sandals were upon his feet, 
secured by bands that flashed their jeweled ligaments 
as high as the knees. Haughtily, majestically, he 
moved forward, proceeding some steps beyond a line 
now formed upon the shore by those who had gone 
before him. 

“ The high priest, the Villac Vmu of the Peruvians,” 
Juan da Rada whispered to Howard. 

“ I must contrive to know yon old heathen wi’ the 
gold headpiece,” Roaring Dick Ruggles grunted to 
himself. “ It be plain he be custodian o’ the liquors.” 

The multitude abruptly ceased their song. A youth 
and a maiden, bearing between them a mighty golden 
vase, advanced and knelt before the high priest. Seiz- 
ing the glittering burden from their hands he raised 
it unaided and poured a libation of its contents upon 
the ground, chanting meanwhile words that were 
vaguely audible to the attentive Almagrians. 

Another priest then came forward, extending to his 
superior a cup of gold, sparkling with emerald encrus- 
tations. Into this goblet the Villac Vmu decanted a 
stream of amber-colored liquor, filling it to the brim. 
He then returned the vase to its bearers, grasped the 
cup, and faced the motionless ranks of the army em- 
battled upon the left of the hillock. 

“ To your good healths, gentles, all ! ” sarcastically 
commented Roaring Richard. Voto a Dios! ye lank- 
legged skeleton ! Dost think none here save thyself 
possess throats ? ” 

Holding the cup extended in the direction of the 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. * 57 

soldiers the high priest chanted a few lines of solemn, 
impressive invitation. As he paused, a flourish of mili- 
tary music responded from the lines of warriors. The 
screams of trumpet, conch, and atabal filled the air, 
the disciplined mass opened from the center in orderly 
evolution, and gave way to the stately march of a 
closely arrayed division composed of a thousand azure- 
uniformed warriors advancing in the form of a hollow 
square. Within the space inclosed by their formidable 
files, through the shafts of the long lances that rose 
perpendicularly above the heads of the marching sol- 
diers, a golden litter glowed amid a gorgeous assem- 
blage of surrounding nobles, gay in all the bravery 
of their surcoats of brilliant feather-work, crested hel- 
mets, simulating the heads of birds and beasts of the 
forest, nodding plumes of glaring color, and flashing 
armor of polished gold or silver. A canopy of feathers 
over the litter screened its occupant from view, while, 
carried directly behind it, and flaunting gallantly in the 
morning sunlight, swayed and snapped the great ban- 
ner of the rainbow, the imperial ensign of the Incas. 

Directly opposite to the line of waiting priests the 
square halted, its front rank opening at the word of 
command and closing in disciplined accuracy after the 
litter and its escort had passed through. 

Some paces farther the bearers of the golden palan- 
quin continued their way, pausing and .setting down 
their burden when at a rod’s distance from the Villac 
Vmu. 

The accompanying crowd of nobles formed with the 
ease of long practice on either side of the equipage, 
the high priest prostrated himself to the ground, an 
example followed by all, as the attendant slaves flung 
back the curtains, and the last Inca of Peru stepped 
forth upon the shore of the lake. 

As the monarch appeared, a wild shout of enthu- 
siastic greeting thundered from the throats of his de- 
voted subjects, soldiers and citizens alike bending their 
bodies low to do him honor. Amid the vast assemblage 
the four mounted men alone remained erect, gazing 
with eager interest to see the face and figure of the 
Inca Manco, the renowned and undaunted champion 
of the lost cause of his people. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


58 


In regard to the first they were doomed to be disap- 
pointed. A helmet of massy gold, skillfully molded in 
imitation of the head of the mountain jaguar, the bared 
teeth of the upper jaw forming the vizor, completely 
shadowed the countenance of the Indian monarch. 
The twin, strange-hued feathers of the coraquenqiie, 
the plumage that none besides himself in Peru might 
wear, waved gracefully upon the crest of this glitter- 
ing casque. 

If his concealed visage gave no clue to the character 
of the Inca, his powerful and vigorous frame bespoke 
the warrior and the leader. Mighty of chest and 
shoulders, muscular and sinewy in every line of his 
statuesque limbs, he moved with the air of one born 
to command, combining with the haughtiness of the 
sovereign the graceful motions of the skilled and prac- 
ticed athlete. 

His bare arms were thickly banded by jeweled gold- 
en bracelets from wrist to elbow. His corselet of gold 
was set with a profusion of turquoises, arranged in 
fantastic devices. From head to foot his dress and 
weapons glowed with wealth of jewels and gorgeous 
store of precious metals. . The splendors of the Inca 
could still be sustained by the wealth of. Peru. Great 
plunder as the conquistadors had gained, the court of 
the Indian sovereign was still no stranger to barbaric 
magnificence. 

At a word from the Inca the high priest arose and 
prol¥ered the goblet to his monarch’s grasp. Manco 
imbibed a long and deliberate draught from its depths, 
facing afterward to the east and delivering a brief 
oration in greeting to the God of his ancestors. The 
priests then defiled before him, each prostrating him- 
self in turn, while he muttered a prayer for the wel- 
fare and glory of the Inca and his kingdom. 

Succeeding the priests, a body of young women, 
clad in spotless white, appeared from the multitude 
and passed in single file before their king. All grace- 
ful and perfectly formed in body, the countenances 
of many were singularly beautiful, and they were all 
good to look upon. And, indeed, had it been other- 
wise, it would have reflected curious doubts as to his 
taste upon the Inca Manco, for they were all of them 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


59 


Virgins of the Sun, expectant dwellers in the imperial 
harems. 

As the priests and maidens returned to the throng 
of subjects, they passed close by the position of the 
cavaliers. Grafton Howard, calmly scanning the face 
of each succeeding devotee with a gaze not devoid of 
indolent contempt, was suddenly surprised to find his 
look met and returned by a pair of eyes that seemed to 
burn into his very being, giving to his careless spirit 
an impression and remembrance not often awakened 
there. 

Ihe eyes in question belonged to the last maiden 
in the procession of the Virgins. Dark, melting, 
fathomless in their lustrous depths, they illuminated a 
countenance lively and intelligent, its features cast in 
the highest type of feminine aboriginal beauty. To 
the charms of her face the maiden joined the graces 
of a form magnificent in the sinuous lissomness of 
its curves, enticing and peculiarly attractive, as set 
off by the unadorned robe of white, that gave to the 
polished bronze-tinted skin a singular golden hue. 

With a step light and springy as the tread of a 
young fawn, she passed before them and was lost to 
I view in the crowd ; Grafton Howard would have con- 
! tinued to follow her with his eyes long after her lithe 
figure was indistinguishable amid the forms of her 
companions, but a burst of martial music from the 
beach directed his attention once more to that quarter. 

‘ To the thunder of the war-drums and the sonorous 
blare of trumpet and conch, the Peruvian army now 
broke from its right, and in column of battalions 
! passed proudly in review before its monarch. Mass 
I after mass the warriors swept onward, their close, ac- 
' curately aligned files and regular cadenced tread evinc- 
■ ing the steadiness of men long accustomed to war. 

‘ Hailing their monarch in turn with a thunderous 
I shout of adori’ng acclamation as each division arrived 
opposite the rainbow banner, the army of the Inca 
j Manco defiled before the hillock and took the broad 
I avenue leading to the city, disclosed by the parting 
i of the multitude of citizens that fell back in opposite 
I directions toward the lake and the mountains, as the 
I warriors approached. 


6o 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Grafton Howard, noting the march and bearing of 
the Peruvians with an eye long trained to military dis- 
plays, told himself that the number of the troops that 
had marched by him could not be less than eight thou- 
sand men. 

As the last battalion passed, the trumpets of the 
royal bodyguard sounded in sharp signal, and the 
azure-clad ranks closed promptly about the Inca’s lit- 
ter. Manco stepped within, the curtains were closely 
drawn, and the palanquin, with its accompanying 
nobles, followed the track of the army. 

A body of an hundred men, officered by a gayly 
armored Peruvian noble, detached itself from the rear 
of the procession, marched swiftly up the little hill and 
surrounded the four adventurers. A few words from 
their guide told Juan de Rada that it was the Inca’s 
pleasure that he and his friends were to be escorted 
to the sovereign’s palace beyond the city. Without 
demur, the Almagrians gathered up their reins and 
moved briskly down the hillside, inclosed in the orderly 
phalanx of their dusky guardians. 

Presently the hoofs of the mules beneath them rang 
with the clinking sound of iron upon rock. They had 
gained the road, an elevated causeway built from huge 
blocks of granite, that cut a straight path across the 
level plain, and was wide enough for twenty men to 
march abreast upon its unyielding surface. 

On either side as they proceeded, the throng of the 
Peruvians, their swarthy faces and bodies emphasized 
by the contrast with their white robes and tunics of 
gala attire, crowded to the edges of the avenue, and 
hailed their passing with joyous shouts and hearty 
cries of welcome. 

The natives seemed gentle and well-disposed, their 
demeanor evincing nothing of the harshness and feroc- 
ity of the barbarian. Wreaths of brilliant flowers 
shone in the coarse tresses of their hair, indicating that 
the day was one given up to festivity. Already songs 
and the shrilling of musical instruments arose from 
various parts of the assemblage that covered the plain 
with a concourse of citizens exceeding twenty thou- 
sand souls. 

Behind the last rank of the guards that escorted the 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


6l 


four envoys the populace closed in, following to- 
ward the city gate with confused cries and bursts of 
song that soon took shape and swelled into a triumph- 
ant, far-sounding chorus. 

Without pause or halt, the Indian army crossed the 
city, emerging by the gate on the farther side, where 
the battalions swung into line, alternately occupying 
both borders of the road with a serried array of impas- 
sive warriors. Between their files the royal body- 
guard marched steadily on, the company about How- 
ard and his friends still following behind them. 

A last flourish of the trumpets filled the air as the 
extremity of the line was passed, and the troops were 
then marched back to their quarters in the town, where, 
their arms deposited in the spacious barracks, they 
were allowed to disperse and mingle with the merry 
people that were now filling the streets and squares. 

In passing through the Indian city, Grafton Howard 
noted that the streets were wide and well kept, the 
several plazas they crossed spacious and laid out in 
accurate squares. The dwellings of the common peo- 
ple were small and mean, straw-thatched, and of but 
one story in height. Yet among them rose nobler build- 
ings, the residences of the curacas and Inca dignitaries, 
grand in their massive stonework, achievements to be 
admired in a people ignorant of the use of iron. Small 
time he had to closely observe the town. The proces- 
sion had swept swiftly through, and ere he realized 
half its points of attraction, they were once more in 
the open country, directing their march toward the 
shore of the lake, where, at a distance of half a mile 
from the town, the ramparts of a great wall were vis- 
ible, surrounding the buildings that comprised the resi- 
dence of the Inca Manco. 

At a wide entrance that split 4:he rugged masses of 
granite forming the screen for the seclusion of the 
monarch, the causeway abruptly ended. A broad strip 
of level sward succeeded, from which a well-kept ave- 
nue, shaded by stately trees along its whole extent, ran 
through a magnificent garden, blazing throughout its 
numberless parterres with a profusion of glorious-hued 
tropical plants, whose sensuous odors, borne upon the 
gentle breeze of the valley, filled the brain with subtle 


62 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


intoxications. At regular intervals similar walks, laid 
out with mathematical precision, intersected the first at 
right angles, stretching away until lost in shadowy 
vistas of verdure. The wealth of this floral paradise 
spread in lavish luxuriance to the very walls of the 
palace, before attaining which, however, the road 
swept sharply to the left, coming out at last upon a 
great lawn that, smooth and velvety in its emerald 
brilliancy, sloped gently down to the edge of the lake. 

The front of the royal dwelling, an imposing pile of 
porphyry and granite, faced the water, and rose to 
the height of two stories. Three great stone steps led 
up from the lawn to an extensive platform constructed 
before the entrance to the first court of the palace, built 
out upon either side of the door for a space sufficient 
to admit of its containing above a thousand people. 

Upon this portico, the Inca Manco was standing, his 
gorgeous dress and armor marking him even amid the 
glittering circle of his courtiers. The ranks of the 
royal guard formed an azure background, effectively 
setting off the brilliant assemblage. 

The officer in command of the body escorting the 
Almagrians halted them by a curt order. For perhaps 
half an hour they stood fast, while the ceremony of 
farewell was performed between the Inca, the priests, 
and the Virgins of the Sun, who were again defiling 
at the bottom of the steps and prostrating themselves 
in turn before him. 

The rite came to an end, the sovereign, with his 
guards and nobles, disappeared through the great door 
of the palace, while the scarlet mantles and snowy robes 
moved in regular order down to the border of the shin- 
ing waters. 

The escort of the four cavaliers followed in their 
path, diverging and forming line before a spacious 
house of stone that was built upon the bank of the lake. 
Here their guide signified that they were to dismount, 
and, obeying his injunctions, the mules were instantly 
led away by attendant menials called forth by the offi- 
cer who had them in charge. 

“ This house the Inca has placed at our disposal,” 
De Rada observed to Grafton Howard, as the English- 
man stretched his limbs with an air of satisfaction, 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


63 


after being once more out of the saddle. “We are to 
rest here for a few hours, and ere sunset we are to 
appear before him.” 

“ Then I propose that we at once take possession 
of our new dwelling,” Howard returned, and the four 
entered the building, the guards saluting meanwhile 
with every mark of respect. 

The house was built about a court, the rooms open- j 
ing therefrom on every side. The part facing the lake 
was occupied entirely by a spacious apartment that 
t' seemed to be intended as the common resort for all the 
, dwellers within its walls. This room alone had win- 
! dows ; without, a platform, built upon piles set in the 
li water, afiforded a pleasing change to the gloomy shades 
!• of the interior. 

Howard, stepping forth at once upon the porch, as 
it may be called, cast a curious glance at the shore to 
the right, where his keen eyes had last marked the 
assemblage of the priests and the virgins clustering 
upon the bank. 

Empty and unoccupied the beach showed in the sun- 
light. But a great balsa, a mighty raft of native manu- 
' facture, was now gliding majestically over the bosom 
of the waters with outspread sail. Her deck was a 
mass of scarlet and white clad figures; upon the air 
was rising the weird, haunting chant of the Sun God. 

Marking the course of the balsa, Grafton determined 
that its destination must be an island that his sailor’s 
glance discerned a mile away across the lake. Among 
the thick foliage that rose in waves above the waters 
he imagined he made out the white walls of several 
buildings. 

“ What is yonder?” he demanded, abruptly, of the 
native guide, who had come forth also, and now stood 
at his elbow ; “ whither sails that strange craft ? ” 

The Peruvian, for the first time since their meeting, 
answered in excellent Spanish. 

“ They return to their home,” he said, while he rever- 
ently bowed his head upon his breast. 

“ And that is where? ” Howard demanded. 

“ In the temples of the Sacred Isle. The home of 
the priests and the Virgins of the Sun is beside the 
altar of the Sun God.” 


64 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


CHAPTER VII. 

MANGO, LAST OF THE INCAS. 

The first half of the task intrusted to the envoys of 
Almagro was now accomplished. They had found the 
Inca Manco. It remained for them to gain his pres- 
ence and lay before him the proposals of their young 
chieftain. Both De Rada and Howard questioned their 
Peruvian conductor as to when his monarch would re- 
ceive them; but that the Indian knew no more than 
themselves. 

“ The mind of the Child of the Sun is his own,” was 
all the satisfaction the native vouchsafed to their 
queries. ” What he may intend the gods alone can 
know. When the wish comes to him to see you, he 
will send and bid you stand before him. Until then 
there is nothing for you but to wait.” 

The remaining hours of the morning the cavaliers 
passed, therefore, in idleness, lazily feasting their eyes 
upon so much of the beautiful valley as could be seen 
from their balcony, and expecting every moment the 
arrival of some court official to summon them to the 
palace. Yet the sun reached its zenith, and they were 
still unbidden. 

Those who had them in charge showed a more kindly 
zeal to minister to their comfort than did the sovereign 
to satisfy their impatience. 

At noonday the ambassadors were conducted to a 
room that served as a dining-hall, where a plentiful 
meal was set before them. Fish, fresh from the lake 
and deliciously prepared, charqiii, the dried meat of 
the country, bread and cakes of maize, potatoes, fruits 
in seemingly endless variety, all tempted the appetites 
of the cavaliers, and were devoured with the appre- 
ciation of those who have journeyed long and fared 
hard. 

While the viands appealed to the stomachs, the ac- 
cessories were likewise calculated to affect the imagi- 
nations of the adventurers ; for the plates and table 
utensils were of massive silver, while dark-browed, 
graceful Peruvian maidens, who seemed eager to an- 
ticipate the slightest wishes of the Inca’s guests, prof- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 65 

fered to their grasp the sparkling chicha, the fermented 
juice of the maguey, in goblets of virgin gold. 

Nor did they extend the cup in vain to Roaring Rich- 
ard Ruggles. Long ere the meal had ended that gal- 
lant seaman had exhausted all his vocabulary in praises 
of his kind entertainers. His hunger satisfied, he 
applied himself to the task of quenching his thirst with 
such hearty good-will that he was soon unfit for any- 
1 thing but a prolonged siesta, in which refreshing 
repose he was soon joined by his three companions. 

The afternoon had fast slipped away, and it wanted 
but two hours to sunset, when their guide at last 
I aroused Juan de Rada with the news that an audience 
with the Inca was to be straightaway granted them, 
and that the royal messenger was even then awaiting 
them before the house. 

Grafton Howard and Geronimo de Alvarado were 
at once awakened and bidden to attend their leader. 
The slumbers of Roaring Dick were not broken, De 
Rada placing but slight value upon the seaman’s effi- 
ciency as a diplomat. The two Spaniards and the 
i Englishman carefully adjusted their armor and ap- 
parel, and, satisfied that even if their appearance left 
much to be desired so far as splendor was concerned, 
it was, nevertheless, martial and knightly to a degree 
I befitting the presence of so renowned a warrior as the 
last monarch of Peru, they left their dwelling together, 

, and signified their readiness to proceed to his envoy. 

I Him they found to be an Inca noble, arrayed in the 
I full insignia of his class, his splendid dress and arms, 

I as well as his superbly haughty demeanor, marking 
him as belonging to the blood royal. 

I With ceremonious, but brief, greeting, he acknowl- 
j edged their salutations, and, through their guide as 
I interpreter, commanded rather than requested that they 
accompany him at once to his sovereign lord. 

The translation of his speech concluded, the Peru- 
vian grandee turned abruptly upon his heel, and set 
off at brisk pace in the direction of the palace, as if not 
doubting for an instant that the three cavaliers would 
follow. Which, indeed, they did, though the gray- 
streaked moustachios of Juan de Rada bristled with 
anger, and Geronimo de Alvarado confided, soUo wee, 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


yO 


to Howard an inclination to wring the impudent na- 
tive’s neck. 

The exterior of the royal dwelling presented to the 
eye a long wall of rough, unhewn blocks of granite and 
porphyry, stretching far on either side of the entrance, 
which was placed exactly opposite the center of the 
broad platform already mentioned. Not a single win- 
dow broke the unvarying monotony of the rugged 
stonework ; no attempt at ornament embellished its 
surface ; the great doorway was simply a mathematical- 
ly precise rectangular opening in the barrier, unrelieved 
by arch or pillar. Neither cement nor mortar had been 
used by the builders, yet the stones had been so truly 
cut that it was almost impossible to detect the lines of 
juncture. The whole impression conveyed by the walls 
was that they might resist the ravages of centuries ; the 
roof of thatched straw presented a strange contrast to 
their time-defying stability. 

Ascending the steps and crossing the platform, the 
Almagrians followed their haughty conductor through 
the portal and along a gloomy passage that led straight 
into the building for some fifty feet, emerging into a 
wide and spacious interior court walled about on all 
four sides by the same height of heavy stonework. 

Here, they judged, were lodged the warriors of the 
royal bodyguard. For a great number of doors, each 
alike its fellow in dimensions, and each cut in the stone 
at equal distance from the one on right and left, showed 
in the walls. A light wooden balcony, reached by sets 
of stairs at each angle, ran completely around the 
square on a level with the floor of the second story, 
and afforded a grateful shade from the sun to the sol- 
diers who dwelt upon the ground floor; while gay 
awnings, striped scarlet and azure, protected those who* 
were lodged in the higher quarters. 

Little knots and groups of these defenders of the 
monarch’s person dotted the square ; many could be 
discerned reclining upon the balconies and the ground 
before the doors of their respective apartments, all un- 
armed and engaged in a variety of amusements. Here, 
an excited circle surrounded a pair of struggling 
wrestlers. There, a dozen or more were dancing vigo- 
rously to the throbs of a drum beaten by an untiring 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


67 


minstrel. Beyond, amid songs and bursts of laughter, 
the cups of chicha were quaffed without moderation or 
restraint. Indian storytellers, jugglers, and snake 
charmers squatted upon the earth, each with an ap- 
plauding audience. In places, friends, drawn apart 
from the pleasure-seeking mass of their comrades, 
passed their time in the joys of conversation. In and 
out among the various groups moved gayly attired ser- 
vants of the palace, while ever and anon the crowd 
was parted by the passing of an Inca noble, serenely 
sure of a ready path as the privilege of his exalted 
birth. 

All these facts were marked by the adventurers as 
they followed him who conducted them, crossing the 
court diagonally to the left, the groups of natives fall- 
ing back and making way at their approach. They 
left the square by a door in no way diforing from the 
entrance and proceeded anew along a dim and gloomy 
corridor lined on either side by doors opening into the 
walls for a considerable distance. At its farther end 
they were met by a sharp challenge, and it was only 
after some password had been given by the royal mes- 
senger that they were allowed to proceed. 

Their way into the open air was between a score of 
files of the guards, drawn up on either side of the pas- 
sage, and fully armed for battle. The admiration of the 
cavaliers was awakened no less by the precision of the 
salute given them by these swarthy warriors than by 
the beauty of the court, in which they now found them- 
selves. 

For this second square was laid out as a garden, and, 
though smaller than the first, was still sufficiently spa- 
cious to afford full display for all the gorgeous flora 
of the tropics. Straight and accurately marked walks 
intersected each other at right angles, crossing at regu- 
lar intervals rectangular plots of sward, where spark- 
ling fountains played and benches, placed beneath the 
branches of flowering shrubs, invited the idly inclined 
to repose. 

In the center of the garden was a wider checker of 
close-cropped grass, where a hundred more of the 
azure-liveried mighty men of the Inca reclined beside 
their weapons, resting, but watchful. They sprang up 


68 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


and formed in a twinkling as the Almagrians appeared, 
and again their leader demanded the password. 

Upon the farther side of the square also a body of 
twenty guardsmen was drawn up before a portal that 
lay in their path, and the envoys re-entered the building 
through their vigilant ranks. A few steps were made 
along a dark, low-ceilinged passage ; their conductor 
stopped abruptly and swept back a heavy curtain that 
closed its extremity, motioning them to proceed, while 
he himself remained behind. De Rada, with Howard 
and Alvarado, passed this portiere, halted, and, remov- 
ing their headpieces, bowed deeply. They were in the 
presence of him whom they had journeyed so far to 
seek. 

The room into which the cavaliers had now entered 
was far from regal in dimensions, its walls forming a 
square of perhaps thirty feet to the side. Directly 
opposite them a pair of curtains, divided in the middle, 
had been half drawn back, disclosing the inevitable 
rectangle of a door behind them. The daylight that 
penetrated through this opening alone illuminated the 
apartment, for there were no windows ; yet, subdued 
as the light was, it still had strength enough to reveal 
to the eyes of the. Almagrians that they were environed 
by almost incredible barbaric splendor. 

From a huge ring of massy gold, set in the center of 
the floor above, apparently, scarlet and black striped 
cloths of vicuna wool depended, in form like the roof 
of a tent, running to the tops of the walls, and tFesc 
secured by horizontally placed rods of heavy gold. Di- 
rectly below, a frieze two feet broad, likewise of gold 
set into the stone, ran around all four sides of the room. 
Beneath, the walls were divided into panels, alternate- 
ly covered by hangings of black and scarlet that swept 
the floor, while the space between showed the bare rock, 
inlaid and flashing with seemingly priceless wealth of 
gold and silver incrusted with precious stones. Niches 
cut in the stone held cunningly wrought golden images 
of men, beasts, and birds, as well as flowers and plants 
of many varieties, all skillfully imitated in gold, silver, 
and gem-work. The hangings and roof curtain were 
ornamented with an embroidery of golden flowers, the 
"leaves, many though they were, composed entirely of 
emeralds. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


69 


Beautifully dressed skins of puma, cougar, jaguar, 
and other ferocious denizens of the forests were flung 
in rich profusion upon the floor, forming a carpet into 
which the feet sunk to the instep. 

As to furniture, there was but one piece; but that 
one so magnificent that not a monarch in Christendom 
but would have rejoiced to call himself the owner. 

Before the half-drawn curtains, through whose 
parted folds could be seen the glimmering waters of the 
lake far beyond, stood a throne of solid gold, so roomy 
that a tall man could easily lie at full length upon its 
scarlet, gold-worked cushions. Such, in truth was the 
posture in which the Inca Manco received the envoys 
of Diego de Almagro. The powerful frame of the 
monarch reclined upon his sumptuous couch, his right 
elbow resting upon a mass of pillows that glowed with 
embroidery of gold, his clenched right hand supporting 
his chin. 

The helmet and armor he had worn at the review in 
the morning were now laid aside ; but the llautu, a tur- 
ban of many-colored folds was wound about his head, 
crested, as had been the helmet, with the twin feathers 
of the coraquenque. Over hi§ forehead fell the fringes 
of the imperial ,6or/a, a coronet of scarlet vicuna wool 
that none but the monarch might wear. As the light 
was behind him, and he lay in the shadow cast by the 
back of his throne, the features of the Peruvian king 
were in a measure undiscernible ; still the cavaliers 
could mark without difficulty the dark eyes in whose 
depths a strange fire seemed to slumber with a sullen, 
implacable glow. 

The arms, legs and feet of the Inca were bare. His 
body was covered by a simple tunic of scarlet, beneath 
which peeped the links of a close-woven shirt of mail, 
evidently of Spanish manufacture. A heavy Toledo, 
and a shield, whose half-eflfaced device proved that it 
had once been the property of some Castilian cavalier, 
were leaning against the throne within easy reach of 
Manco’s arm. Either he did not entirely trust the 
strangers, or he wished to have before their eyes clear 
proof of his prowess in the field. 

At the right of the royal chair knelt the great high 
priest of Peru, the Villac Vmu, whom they had seen in 


70 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


the morning. At the left, a gorgeously arrayed Inca 
noble likewise held the same humble attitude. Both 
were bare-footed, and each bore a light burden bound 
upon his shoulders in token of fealty and submission. 

As the envoys straightened themselves in completing 
their bows, the Inca addressed them in a voice low- 
pitched, but sonorous and far-sounding. 

“Ye are men who come of a race I hate and destroy 
without mercy when I have the power,” he said. “Ye 
can not have been ignorant of this, and yet ye have 
sought me for days amid the mountains where my 
word is still law. I have called ye here to learn the 
reason of your coming. Let the old man speak, and let 
him be careful that his tongue is straight. I listen.” 

Manco spoke in Spanish, with which language his 
long residence as a captive with Pizarro had made him 
easily familiar. Juan de Rada was not slow to answer. 
In undaunted but respectful accents he replied, “ Far 
indeed have I traveled to have speech with you, O, 
king of the Peruvians, and now that I have succeeded 
there is no desire in my mind to speak a.ught but the 
truth. Yet what I have to say is for you only to hear. 
We are not alone.” 

“ The Villac Vmu and my brother Paullo are as 
. myself,” the Inca answered, coldly. “ I have no secrets 
from them.” 

“ Yet in what I have to tell you ” De Rada was 

persisting, but the monarch cut him short. 

“ Speak before them or depart with your tale un- 
told. You know my will,” he said, in tones that ad- 
mitted of no dispute. 

Juan de Rada stood silent for some moments, while 
the contraction of his brow and his quivering lip betok- 
ened how keenly the cavalier who had helped to over- 
turn the empire of Atahuallpa resented the contempt- 
uous tone of his successor. Policy, however, triumphed 
over indignation, and controlling his emotion he re- 
sumed. 

“ Inca, you cannot have forgotten the Marshal Al- . 
magro. I come to you a messenger from his son. The 
wrongs you have suffered have aroused his sympathies, ^ 
and I stand before you at his command to proffer you 
his friendship and request your friendship in return.” ' 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


71 


“ I have not forgotten the marshal,” Manco returned 
with a grim smile, ‘‘you, too, fought in the Valley of 
Yucay.” 

1 am honored to have a place in the memory of so 
great a warrior,” Juan de Rada smiled also. 

” I lost many brave men that day, but the battle was 
fairly won,” the Inca said, with no trace of resentment 
in his voice. ” The older Almagro did me many kind- 
nesses when I dwelt among the Spaniards. I thank his 
son for his good will and send to him by you assurance 
of my friendship.” 

The monarch closed his eyes as he finished speaking, 
sank slowly back upon the cushions as if the conversa- 
tion were at an end. Juan de Rada silently ground 
his teeth at the Indian’s indifference; but his tones 
when next he spoke were calm and even as before. 

” A friend in words only is but a barren treasure,” 
he said. ” Diego de Almagro is convinced that you 
are not such an one. He has, therefore, intrusted me 
with a request to you, which he doubts not that you will 
grant.” 

Manco lazily opened his eyes and regarded De Rada 
with a glance that did not lack a certain flicker of 
amusement. ” And the son of the marshal would ask of 
me — what ? ” he asked, abruptly. 

” The loan of enough gold to put six hundred men 
into condition to fight,” was the blunt answer of De 
Rada. 

Again a smile parted the Inca’s lips. 

“ He would follow in the footsteps of his father, 
then, and make war? ” he murmured, with a tinge of 
mockery. ” And why? ” 

“ To accomplish the work begun by his father,” De 
Rada rejoined. ” The marshal did not live to return 
to Chile.” 

” Whence he was forced to retreat by a brave and un- 
conquered people,” Manco asserted with n>ore of energy 
in his voice than he had yet betokened. ” They at least 
knew how to defend their land against the despoiler. 
Had my uncle Atahuallpa pursued the same course 
they followed — but he did not, and you Spaniards hold 
Peru.” 

'' The greater part of it, at least,” De Rada could not 


72 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


resist agreeing, with an evidence of satisfaction that 
did not escape Manco’s keen gaze. 

“ Aye, but not all,” he returned, raising himself upon 
his elbow. “ The mountains are mine still. And by 
the great Pachacamac! the god who gave this land to 
my ancestors, I will fight you for every inch of it ! I have 
sworn eternal war against you, and you know it well. 
Yet you come to ask my aid against the tribes of Chile ! 
You must have but slight opinion of my intelligence! ” 

Juan de Rada eyed the Peruvian for some moments 
in silence. 

“ You willTiot aid us, then? ” he asked, at length. 

“ Aid you ! to place shackles upon the limbs of those 
who, though they be my hereditary foes, are yet of a 
race akin to mine and have a right to the land wherein 
they dwell ! Aid you ! to waste their land with fire and 
sword, to throw their maidens victims to your un- 
bridled lusts, to strip even their humblest laborers to 
the skin in your cursed greed for gold ! Did I further 
your projects by so much as a grain of silver, the mean- 
est post within the realms of Cupay, where after death 
eternal labor awaits the wicked, were far above the lot 
that I should merit ! Oh, I know you Spaniards well. 
I was with Atahuallpa when first he fell into your 
hands. I have lived among you, I have been your 
despised captive, and by Chasca of the curling locks ! 
I am now your hated enemy. You are demons, de- 
mons all, and as for the head demon, the marquis as 
you call him ” 

The Inca’s tone had been deliberate enough, despite 
the hatred of his words*; but at mention of Pizarro he 
paused as if his emotions were too great for utterance. 

Before he could resume, Juan de Rada said with 
emphasis : 

“ And we also call Francisco Pizarro a demon.” 

“ Aye, he slew your leader. Yet you cower before 
him and the young Almagro lives on the scraps from 
his table.” 

“ But he may not always do so,” the Spaniard an- 
swered, calmly, though his face flushed dark red under 
the taunt. 

'' Words, only words,” the Inca laughed scornfully. 
“ I hate Francisco Pizarro even as he does; but I did 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


73 


not let my hatred slumber. One brother befooled, an- 
1] other slain, a host of his followers sent to unending 
1 1 toil, a gray hair in his beard for every hour of the day, 
^ — those are the fruits of my hatred. The marquis 
I knows not fear, I will say that for him, but if he fear 
I me not he does not hold me in contempt. Were the 
Inca Manco to meet him in the streets of his new city, 

I he would not be passed with the disdain bestowed upon 
! Almagro and the men of Chile ” 

I The eyes of Juan de Rada glowed with the fire of 
1 terrible passions, held in stern restraint, while the 
Peruvian king was speaking. When Manco had fin- 
ished : 

I “ Diego de Almagro is yet young,” he said, slow- 
ly. ” Before he die he may have done all that the Inca 
Manco has eflfected to disturb Francisco Pizarro, and 
even more. That remains to be discovered. But, 
king of the Sun-worshipers, I will put the question 
to you thus : Should Almagro be arrayed against the 
[ marquis in open warfare, could he look to you for aid ? 
f Would you assist with your treasure and your armies 
: an attempt to overthrow the man you hate ? ” 

; The Inca’s eyes were bright as De Rada’s own : 

I “ To the last warrior that I can command I will fight 
5 Francisco Pizarro,” he replied in tones inflexible and un- 
; yielding as fate. “ Whoever strives against him can 
I call upon me for all that I can give and never fear re- 
fusal. I favor Diego de Almagro most of all you 
Spaniards. He, at least, is half an Indian. Besides, 
he bid fair to be a gallant youth.” 

“ He is, he is indeed a cavalier who fulfills already 
' the promise of his boyhood,” broke in De Rada, “ noble 
of heart, generous of mind ” 

, “ Then let him be brave, also,” the Inca interrupted, 

i grimly, in his turn. “ Let him throw aside all conceal- 
ment, let him raise his banner, summon his friends 
i about him, demand from the marquis what has so long 
I been refused him. Let him act, I say, instead of vainly 
i wasting time in plotting. Once in the field against* 
Pkarro he shall have all my forces upon his side* With 
me for his ally he cannot be beaten, for I hold the 
mountains and can hold them for a lifetime.” 

“ I will not forget your promi&e,” Juan de Rada said, 
solemnly. 


74 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“Nor will 1. You have your answer; go, bear it 
to your chief. He shall have aid, yet he must aid me, 
too. My warriors fight well, but I would have them 
taught the white men’s method. Yon hero with the 
golden hair has taken my fancy,” raising his arm and 
pointing to Grafton Howard. “ I would have him 
with me to instruct my troops.” 

“ I will tell Diego de Almagro of your wish, O, 
Inca,” De Rada answered, with a bow of leave-taking. 
“ When you are allies, he will doubtless lend you the 
Senor Howard. Meanwhile the cavalier must remain 
with me.” 

Manco nodded unconcernedly and waved his hand 
as a signal that the audience was over. The noble who 
had led them thither, appeared on the instant and mo- 
tioned them away. They passed from the room and 
the curtains fell between them and the Inca. 


CHAPTER VHL 

A SWIM AND A KISS. 

“ The task of drilling the Peruvian army is then to 
your liking, Senor Howard? You are willing and 
eager to enter upon the work ? ” 

Juan de Rada put the question to the Englishman as 
they lay side by side that evening upon their portico 
that fronted the lake. A meal, in no respect less pro- 
fuse than the one before offered them, had closed the 
day. At its termination Howard and the elder Span- 
iard had adjourned to the open air of the porch, where, 
extended upon soft cushions quickly placed by the at- 
tentive servants of the house, they had watched the 
shadows of night gather rapidly over mountain and 
valley. 

In the room behind them Roaring Dick and Gero- 
nimo de Alvarado still lingered at the table, swallowing 
great draughts of chicha and passing the dice cup with 
the practiced hands of inveterate gamesters. 

“ If the Senor Almagro be of the opinion that I can 
thereby serve his cause, I shall gladly take the instruc- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


75 


tion of the Inca’s soldiers in hand,” Grafton answered, 
simply. “ I liked the appearance of the men as they 
marched this morning. That they have been well dis- 
ciplined after their own fashion is plainly apparent.” 

The old soldier of the conquest gave a short laugh. 

The hosts of Atahuallpa were equal to them in every 
respect,” he said, dryly. “ Yet Pizarro, with not enough 
men to form a respectable regiment, seized that mon- 
arch in the very midst of his forces.” 

” By a surprise effected against unarmed men bent 
on a peaceful visit,” Howard rejoined, laconically. ” I 
have heard that the Inca nobles, weaponless as they 
were, made your soldiers fight their best.” 

“ Bah ! at the siege of Cuzco, Juan Pizarro rode at 
will through the valley with his horse, less than a hun- 
dred strong; while as many thousands of Peruvians 
were beleaguering the town,” De Rada sneered. 

" True enough, yet he could not retain the ground 
outside the walls and had always to seek their shelter 
under a storm of weapons,” the Englishman objected. 

“ At the fight at Yucay we had no walls and they 
fell upon us by surprise. Yet old Diego Almagro cut 
the army of Manco to pieces. I know how it was done, 
for I was there,” and the Castilian triumphantly twisted 
his moustachios. 

“ All that is but a proof of what they might do if 
properly taught. Give me a year’s control of them 
and I’ll match their battalions against the best that the 
governor can bring, even with your steel weapons. 
They have the making of superb soldiers in them, and 
I’m convinced that they have a monarch who knows the 
fact well,” Howard asserted. 

'' Cristo! the Inca Manco! Yes, he is an able prince, 
though cursedly impudent in his tone. Santa Maria! 
he talked to me this afternoon as if I were a boy new 
come from Spain, instead of one who has been wont 
to see the backs of him and his like in combat upon 
combat,” Juan growled, irritably. 

“ I judged that his manner angered you somewhat,” 
Howard smiled. 

“ Angered I yes, curse his effrontery again a thou- 
sand times I ” the Spaniard snorted. 

“ So much so that you did not closely observe some 


76 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


of the things he said and therefrom draw obvious con- 
clusions,” the Englishman continued. 

“ As to what he said ’twas plain enough. If we 
raise war against the marquis, he’ll aid us with sup- 
plies and men. And he won’t stir a finger for us until 
we’re openly in the field. A child could comprehend 
that ! ” 

“ Those facts, then, were all that you gathered from 
our interview? The words of the Inca taught you 
nothing further?” Grafton demanded. 

“ Por dios! not a jot more. And in all truth, what I 
have is sufficient. We leave at sunrise and must lose 
no time on our road to Cnidad de los Reyes, Senor 
Howard. Once there we must stir Diego to action 
without delay. The boy has some qualms against shed- 
ding blood to regain his rights ; but my name is not 
Juan de Rada if I do not overcome them.” 

“ If I remember rightly, the Inca spoke of our party 
as plotting against the marquis. How could he know 
that?” the Englishman murmured, pensively. 

” Tut ! was there ever man in Almagro’s circum- 
stances who did not plot? ’Tis a natural conclusion on 
the part of Manco,” De Rada returned positively. 

” Aye. But he mentioned, too, the contempt of 
Pizarro for our friends and their meetings, and did it 
in a manner that was most offensive. The Inca has 
been for long limited to the hills by the Spanish troops ; 
is it not so ? ” Howard put the question as if certain 
of the reply. 

“ It is months since he has dared to annoy the 
smallest town. He has been thrashed so often that he 
has learned to keep his distance,” Juan grinned. 

” Then how could he know the spirit in which the 
marquis views our meetings ? Be undeceived, De 
Rada, the Inca is better informed than you think. I 
would wager that his news from Ciudad de los Reyes 
is more recent than our own.” 

Juan de Rada was silent, and remained for awhile 
with his brows knitted in deep thought. 

“ Perhaps you are right,” he said at last, in musing 
tones. “ I do recall now that he seemed to know the 
state of affairs as well as I myself. And he wished no 
information from the capital. Had he been ignorant, 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


77 


he would have asked questions. Well, it matters little. 
He has promised his aid, and that we may claim sooner 
than he thinks. He can well give it, too. Madre do- 
lorosa! had I but what yonder room of his holds in 
the shape of wealth I’d fit out a force that would put 
to shame any army we’ve yet had in the new world. I 
shan’t forget what I’ve seen in the palace, Senor How- 
ard.” 

“ ’Twill not be hard to remember,” the Englishman 
said, coldly. “ I little looked to see soldiers so well 
cared for among barbarians; and the place is strong 
enough to offer a famous defense.” 

” And a perfect mine of treasures that would well 
repay the losses of a stout assault,” the Spaniard hissed, 
the cold fires of greed alight in his glittering orbs. 
“ For a share in the spoil of that one room there are 
gallant blades and to spare in the land that would risk 
hell-fire. When the matter is settled between Almagro 
and the marquis, Senor Howard, we will have leisure to 
revisit this valley. Nor will we come alone.” 

Grafton Howard made no comment as De Rada 
paused. Adventurer and soldier of fortune as the Eng- 
lishman was, his nature was incapable of thus calmly 
determining the despoiling of a present ally in the 
future. The man beside him, formed in the school of 
those flint-hearted explorers of Castile, the splendor of 
whose deeds is rivaled only by the fiendish atrocity of 
the scenes enacted by them in the performing, was of a 
far different type. Already, in his own mind, he looted 
the valley. 

” Yes, we will have companions,” he went on. 
” Brave companions, and San Marco I but they will be 
lank as wolves and as ready for the quarry! Diablo! 
how they will gut the houses of yonder city! how the 
fires will spring up into the air, a score at once and 
how the flames and cinders will whirl away toward the 
sky ! how the women will shriek, and the warriors yell 
their last war cries under the hoofs, of our galloping 
charges ! how the Indians will scatter to the fields, and 
then hola! unlash the dogs and run them down in the 
open ! Have you ever hpnted with bloodhounds, Seftor 
Howard ? ’Tis royal sport, as no doubt you know.’* 

“ I’ve been hunted by them — once in Italy,” the Eng- 
lishman returned, grimly. 


78 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ Ah, that must be different ! Needless to say they 
did not catch you, for you are here.” 

“ Oh, yes, they caught me. There were two of them, 
great, tawny brutes. Still, as you say, I am here,” 
Grafton’s lip curled in a smile. 

'' Hijo del demonio!” muttered De Rada to himself. 
Then, resuming his rhapsody, ” you know how they 
hunt, then. And how swift they are, and how sure! 
They will soon bring the fugitives to earth. And then 
away to the palace, the guards go under the sword, we 
carry it court by court, it is ours, we rush on to the 
temples ” 

He paused as if struck by a sudden thought. 

“ By Lucifer ! but I had forgotten that ! ” he muttered. 
” Where in the name of Satan are the temples? They 
always hold the greatest treasures. To judge from the 
palace the temple here must rival the great Coricancha 
at Cuzco, that Pizarro found lined with gold ! ” 

” You’ll have to do some swimming after you leave 
the palace,” Howard said as he heard De Rada’s dilem- 
ma. Half amused, half angered, he had listened to the 
details of a Spanish foray among the natives, and in 
his mind had seen the picture drawn by one whose ex- 
periences only too well qualified him for the task. “ The 
temple here happens to be located on an island that lies 
out there in the lake,” pointing away to the right into 
the darkness. 

“ And how come you to know that? ” the Spaniard 
asked, suspiciously. 

” Oh, from our guides. He said the temple of the 
Sun God was on the Sacred Isle.” 

“ The temple of the Sun God ! ” the voice of Juan de 
Rada was tense with interest, while beneath his mous- 
tache his parted lips revealed a cruel gleam of nerv- 
ously set teeth. 

“ Aye, so said the Peruvian,” returned his companion, 
imperturbably. 

“And could you see the place from here?” the 
veteran adventurer demanded with eagerness. 

“ Plainly. That is to say I made out the roofs of 
buildings on the island. And there is no reason to 
suppose that the Indian lied.” 

De Rada swore a mighty oath. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


79 


“ You carry ice in your veins then, instead of blood, 
Sehor Howard! Santissinia Maria! Would it be 
credited that there is a man in all Peru who could relate 
thus calmly what you have just told me! Dios! to 
think that without doubt cavaliers untold have lost their 
lives and perished miserably in the wilderness in the 
vain attempt to behold that which this Englishman 
claims to have seen with no more emotion than if he 
had viewed the new dwelling of the accursed Francisco 
Pizarro ! ” 

“ Bah ! why lay such stress upon the sight of a thatch 
of straw amid the tree tops ? ” Howard smiled in lazy 
amusement at the Spaniard’s warmth. 

“ Why ? Death and the Devil ! if you know not, f 
am almost of a mind to let you find out for yourself. 
Know, O, most serene viewer of house tops, that the 
odds are ten to one that beneath the thatch of straw 
! you mention with such contempt is enshrined the great- 
est treasure in Peru — the wondrous girdle of their 
heathen god ! ” 

; “ Perhaps, but then — who knows ? ” Grafton retorted 

in a tone unmoved and incredulous. 

I “ / will know, some day, por Dios! ” Juan de Rada 
answered with emphasis. “ Had I a boat, Pd know this 
very night.” 

“ ’Tis not so very far away across the waters,” the 
Englishman suggested. 

“ Too far for me to swim. Were I young as you, 
I might try,” and the accents of the Spaniard were 
more than tinged with insinuation. 

“ I could do it easily enough,” Howard muttered, 
contemplatively, “ and the evening promises to be bar- 
ren of other amusement. Tis scarce a fair game with 
the Inca ; yet we were not forbidden to look about us. 
Juan de Rada, I am going over there. Merely to look 
about me, remember. Even if it be in my power to 
bring away the belt — and that’s not probable — I would 
not do so. To take a look at the place, however, is not 
against my inclination. Whatever I see there Pll report 
to you. Let no one move the light that shows through 
our doorway ; ’twill serve to guide me in my return.” 

Speedily the Englishman disencumbered himself of 
his armor, laying it with his sword upon the platform, 


8o 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


regirding the belt still containing his dagger about his 
waist. Without noise he glided over the edge of the 
portico, there was a faint splash in the water and Juan 
de Rada was alone, straining his eyes into the shadows 
in fruitless endeavor to follow the course that he him- 
self, had he been able, would indeed have willingly pur- 
sued. 

Grafton Howard was an excellent swimmer. More 
than once he had battled for his life with the treacher- 
ous waves of the ocean. In the various hazards of his 
career by land and sea he had often sustained his way 
in the water for hours at a time ; and that more heavily 
burdened than he was now. With strokes vigorous, 
but silent, he slipped easily along, directing his course 
with the certainty of one who is almost by instinct as- 
sured of the points of the compass. The night, dark 
and with the heavens concealed by thick masses of 
clouds, favored his undertaking. 

Steadily he forced his monotonous way across the 
lake, his speed neither increased nor diminished for a 
considerable time. He had almost begun to believe that 
he had mistaken his direction, when he became aware 
of the faint flicker of a fire that shone feebly through a 
screen of bushes a little to the right of his course and, 
he judged, some fifty yards in front of him. Taking 
this gleam as his objective point he swam sturdily on 
and soon had the satisfaction of feeling the bottom of 
the lake beneath his feet. 

Emerging cautiously from the water he swiftly 
crossed a narrow strip of pebbly beach and gained the 
shelter of the bushes that sprung up a few yards in- 
land. Moving without haste and succeeding well in his 
eflforts to make noiseless his advance, he soon gained a 
position from which he could command uninterrupted 
view of the blaze that had attracted him. 

The fire, though not large, completely illumined a 
small expanse of sward encircled by shrubbery, in the 
center of which it had been kindled. On the farther 
side of the crackling sticks a white-robed figure lay 
prostrate upon the grass, within easy reach of the flame 
which ever and anon it fed with fresh fuel without 
moving from its recumbent position. Weird, yet not 
unmelodious moans and exclamations seemed to pto^ 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


8l 


ceed from this strangely employed form, which, as 
Grafton Howard listened, gradually merged into the 
notes and rhythm of a low voiced, melancholy, yet pas- 
sionate and entrancing song. 

The Englishman could not understand the words, 
which were in the, to him, unknown quichiia dialect of 
the native nobles ; and indeed they were so faintly 
murmured that they scarcely reached his ear. Yet the 
voice, subdued though it was, possessed a fascination 
that held him spellbound, and he stood with bated 
breath, drinking in the alluring notes as if fearful of 
losing a single chord of that mournful melody. . 

The singer rose, of a sudden, and stood erect, throw- 
ing in the action another little bundle of wood upon the 
blaze. The flames caught the resinous sticks and 
leaped higher, casting a light of increasing brightness 
' upon the white-robed shape. In their fitful glimmer, 
Howard recognized the face and figure of the beauti- 
ful Indian maiden, whom he had seen upon the lake 
shore among the Virgins of the Sun. 

Even as he gazed she turned her countenance in his 
direction, and looking full upon him, as it seemed to the 
Englishman, she extended her arms and thrice uttered 
a murmur of what sounded like impatient invitation. 

Always indifferently careless of risk to his own life 
or liberty, in fact never doubting that he was discov-^ 
ered, Howard hesitated not an instant. Stepping boldly 
from the bushes he stood before the Peruvian maiden 
ere the last low call had ceased to vibrate upon her 
lips, and remained calmly regarding her with folded 
arms, a smile upon his handsome, sunburned visage. 

The girl recoiled a pace backward, but she did not 
fly nor did she seem inclined to cry out. Instead she 
bent eagerly forward and remained, regarding the ad- 
venturer with a gaze half-wondering, half-fearful. For 
some seconds they silently scanned each others faces, 
and when the silence was broken it was Howard who 
spoke. 

“ Have no fear, beautiful divinity of this sylvan tem- 
ple,” he said lightly, in Spanish. “ Whatever your 
prayer, your gods have answered. You called, if I mis- 
take not ; and I am here. Behold me.” 

Proudly she threw back her head as he finished 
Speaking. 


82 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ I am not afraid, O, stranger with the golden hair,” 
she answered, while her flashing eyes and erect figure 
gave to her words a queenly dignity. “ Oello, sister to the 
Inca Manco, need feel no alarm within this valley while 
the rainbow banner waves above it. ’Tis for you, im- 
prudent warrior of a race he hates, to tremble and turn 
sick at heart. How dared you set foot on the Sacred 
Isle ? ■’ 

The Princess Oello’s reply was voiced in Spanish 
that need not have shamed the most cultivated members 
of her sex who had followed in the track of the Con- 
quistadors. Howard, clearly understanding, laughed 
low in genuine enjoyment of her defiance. 

“ I fear you are ungrateful,” he smilingly rejoined. 

“ You ask a favor of the gods, they send me as a reply, 
and you at once threaten me with the wrath of the 
Inca.” 

” But I did not ask them to send you,” she responded, 
naively, while a darker flush passed over the smooth 
bronze of her cheeks. “ ’Tis true that I have stolen 
away here by myself with a spark of the sacred fire 
from the temple, and by the blaze I kindled from the 
consecrated fagots have implored the great Pachaca- 
mac and his attendant deities to grant that I look once 
more upon the face of one I would gladly see again. 
Yet that one, I tell you, was not you” 

” I am unfortunate,” Grafton murmured, still smil- . 
ing. “ Yet that is no reason why you should have the 
same lot. Permit me to withdraw and leave you, with 
the hope that to your further prayers the gods may 
respond in a way more to your liking.” 

“ Nay, you go not thus easily away from here. That 
you came of your own will, impelled by no divinity my 
people worship, I well understand. The reason of your 
coming I will know. Tell me at once, or bear the con- 
sequences,” the princess commanded. 

“To one so beauteous I can refuse nothing. I came 
to see what I could see,” the cavalier asserted, politely. 

“Yes, with eyes all ablaze for a glimpse of what 
there is no white warrior in Peru but covets it,” flashed 
back the girl. “ Think you that I know not what all 
of your race are ever seeking? You should know how 
well such as you have shown my people, the true own- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


83 


ers of this land, that gold alone is what you always 
look for. Strange warrior, we Peruvians know the 
Spaniards.” 

“ But I am not a Spaniard,” objected Howard, as 
she glared scornfully into his smiling eyes. 

“ Not a Spaniard — and with a white skin ! What 
are you then ? — a god ? ” and the Princess Oello laughed 
disdainfully. 

” All white men do not come from Spain. Have you 
ever heard of England ?” and Howard proceeded to try 
and convey to her mind some idea of the nations and 
countries of Europe, growing interested as the girl be- 
trayed a desire to listen, and ending with an honestly 
enthusiastic eulogy of his own people. 

“ Do the English love gold as dearly as the Spaniards 
do ? ” she demanded abruptly, as he finished. 

” All men are glad to have it, I suppose ” Grafton 

was beginning, but she interrupted : 

” That is not so with my people. Among us all 
the gold and silver, and the jewels, too, belong to 
the gods and to the Inca. He gives the nobles what 
they have. And of the common people, all are 
alike, not one possesses more than the other. 
The Inca cares for all equally, and so they are all 
happy. That is, they were, before the Spaniards 
came among us. Now, of course, the presence of the 
invaders always causes sorrow. But tell me of the 
English — are they bloody of hand and cruel of heart, 
like the Spaniards ? Do they burn women, and do they 
hunt them with dogs ? ” 

The plaintive tones of the sweet voice faltered some- 
what, and the heart of the adventurer stirred with an 
emotion it scarcely ever felt. 

” No, by Heaven ! ” he said, heartily, in his own 
language. “ Englishmen make war like men, not like 
devils ! ” 

I cannot understand,” the girl reminded him. 

“ No, princess, the English never harm women,” 
Howard assured her in words she could comprehend. 

” I think you are speaking truth. You are different 
from the Spaniards. I am not afraid with you — and I 
could not talk with one of them and not tremble. So 
I am going to let you go free.” 


84 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ Let me go free ! ” Howard exclaimed in astonished 
mirth. " Ah ! but I forgot that I am your captive.” 

“ You are laughing. But it is true, though I am 
but a weak girl. One cry from me, and the guards 
would be here before you could escape. You came by 
swimming, I suppose, but with them in chase you could 
not go back that way.” 

“And what would the guards do with me?” the 
cavalier questioned, indifferently. 

” Cut you to pieces or take you to the Villac Vmu. 
He would surely have you killed. Ah ! how furious 
he would be if he knew that a Span — I mean an Eng- 
lishman — is standing almost within sight of the temjde 
where the great girdle of the Sun God is still kept safe 
by his devotion ! ” 

“ The sacred belt is upon the island, then ? ” Grafton 
calmly asked. 

“ Yes, in the central temple. We have to clean it, 
we Virgins of the Sun. It is very heavy,” the princess 
pouted. 

“ I have heard many tales of it. Would it be pos- 
sible for you to show it to me ? ” The Englishman made 
the request with no trace of eagerness in his manner. 

” From the manner of your asking, you cannot wish 
very much to see it. That goes, too, to prove you no 
Spaniard. Ah, I am glad that you are not one of them., 
I thought this morning that you were, and I hated my- 
self because I could not forget how grand, how like 

what the gods must be in beauty, I thought you ” 

the Princess Oello paused abruptly and bit her lip. 

“ You remembered nie then ” Grafton was begin- 

ning as he advanced a pace nearer and would have 
taken her hand, but she started back with a warning 
gesture. 

“ I remember only that you should not be here. 
Hush, not a word, but follow me. If you do not obey 
I call the guards.” 

Howard did not attempt to dispute her will. Silently 
he allowed her to lead him along the shore to a small 
cove where several canoes were moored. Motioning 
him to seat himself in the nearest, the princess promptly 
followed him aboard and with a vigorous push she sent 
the light shallop from the bank. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


^5 

Once in the open water, the girl plieckthe paddle with 
vi^r, and ere long had carried the Englishman to 
within an easy swim of his starting place. 

Several attempts made by Howard to speak during 
the short voyage she had sternly repressed by the im- 
perious “ hush,” uttered the instant that she perceived 
his purpose. When at length she checked the little ves- 
sel and laid down her paddle — 

“ I can take you no further,” she said. “ From here 
you must return as you came. You wished me to show 
you the girdle of the god to-night. Had I tried to do 
so your discovery would have been certain. The Vil- 
lac Vmu sacrifices in the temple and will be there 
until sunrise. When you come back again, I may, per- 
haps, be able to give you a view of the wonders of the 
Isle.” 

” When I come back ! But that I may never do,” 
Grafton said with surprise. 

‘‘ Aye, but you will. I talked with my brother Paullo 
as the sun went down. He is furious that the Inca 
thinks of having you train the army he himself com- 
mands. So, you will return. Into the lake with you, 
now, I may be missed.” 

Obediently Grafton Howard slipped into the water. 
Holding by the grmwale of the canoe, he extended his 
right hand. 

“ The gods protect you until our next meeting. Prin- 
cess Oello,” he murmured, half in jest, half in earnest. 

The Indian girl bent suddenly forward and looked 
into his eyes. Then, before the adventurer could divine 
her purpose, he felt her warm lips pressed passionately 
upon his own. 

A second later, and the canoe was speeding swiftly 
©n its way back to the island. 

“ Well, what luck? Did you find out all we wished 
to know, or was the isle too well guarded ? ” De Rada 
demanded, as Howard appeared dripping upon the 
platform. 

The Englishman smiled a strange smile. 

” The isle was too well guarded,” he said, shortly. 


Foes to the Marquis. 


1 


BOOK IJI. 


CHAPTER IX. ; 

i 

“ TWICE IN ONE DAY ! ” j 

The return of De Rada’s party to Ciudad de los j 
Reyes was accomplished with the greatest expedition, j 
The Inca Manco furnished a guide familiar with all the i 
short cuts through the mountain passes ; their leader, j 
despite his age, urged their progress with an energy I 
that never flagged. A joyous welcome awaited them at 
the hands of the young Diego de Almagro, impatient 
to learn the result of his embassy. 

On the third day following their return, Grafton 
Howard and the late master-mariner, of the “Freak of 
Fortune,” had ascended together to the room in Al- 
magro’s house, that they occupied in common, for the 
purpose of enjoying the accustomed refreshing siesta 
after the midday meal. 

Howard had at once thrown himself luxuriously 
upon his bed ; but Roaring Richard Ruggles, squaring 
himself with hands upon his hips — a position that with 
him indicated a mind disposed for serious conversa- 
tion — proceeded to deliver his opinions upon matters 
that had evidently been troubling him for some hours. 

“ Before you goes to sleep, Cap’n Grafton,” he said, 
sourly, “ I wishes to speak to you as atween man an’ 
man, always bein’ mindful, as one might say, o’ the 
respect due you from me, as sails under your orders. I 
wishes you to understand, likewise, that were we cruis- 
in’ just now in waters that floated Christian craft, so 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


87 


to speak, I for my part, should be well content to know 
that your hand was a-holdin’ the helm, an’ should only 
look to obey your words, as I has always done. But 
here, in this damned Peru, where there ain’t nothin’ but 
Dons an’ heathens, an’ the gold one robs the other of, 
I thinks the signs o’ sea an’ sky warrants my askin’ of 
a few questions. An’ if you’ll have the goodness to an- 
swer, like I said before as ’tween man an’ man. I’ll take 
it most kindly on your part.” 

“ The arrow’s at your ear. Roaring Dick, so loose 
the bowstring,” lazily answered his commander. 
” You’re at liberty to be as plain as you please. For 
that matter, you know that you always speak your mind' 
to me, and sometimes with a vengeance, too.” 

“ But never disrespectful, an’ always for your own 
good. Master Grafton,” Ruggles retorted, reproach- 
fully. “ You can’t say as how this battered old hulk o’ 
mine ain’t sailed in your company a single fathom, an’ 
not tried its best to do its duty by the admiral. An’ 
now, as you gives permission to up anchor. I’ll put my 
first question, an’ I hopes it won’t be took amiss.” 

“ Well, I’m waiting, master-mariner,” Howard said, 
in tones of encouragement ; for Roaring Dick, in direct 
contradiction of his assertion, that he was about to be- 
gin, had become suddenly silent, and remained with his 
mouth pursed up defiantly, as if he had sworn never to 
speak more. 

“ Oh, if you’re simply going to stare at me like a 
seasick water-baby, I’ll have my sleep,” the adventurer 
continued, after a pause of considerable duration, while 
his subordinate still remained mute. “ Wake me when 
you’re ready to clap on sail.” 

Thus adjured, Ruggles desperately cleared his throat 
and blurted out : 

“ Cap’n Grafton, what I wants to know, in the first 
place, is this: Be you steerin’ a plain course, straight 
afore the wind o’ the Almagro party ? or be you ready to 
stand by to go about an’ off on a tack o’ your own, 
choosin’ at any moment? There ! I has said it, an’ I be 
glad the words is out.” 

“ Why, by Holy Paul ! Roaring Dick Ruggles, this 
is strange talk ! ” his leader ejaculated, sitting up on his 
bed eyeing the sailor with a gaze cold and impassive, 


88 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


yet carrying a strange flicker in the depths of the hand- 
some eyes. “ What in the name of Satan do you mean 
by it ? ” 

“ Just this, Master Grafton,” Richard returned, un- 
daunted. “ I may have seemed to care for naught but 
meat an’ drink, when we came to harbor in the valley 
yonder, among the mountains ; but my eyes an’ ears 
wasn’t neither blinded nor shut, an’ I took in consider- 
able. I knows as how the king o’ them heathens has a 
army there that a man like you, what knows his trade, 
can make into a cursed good fightin’ machine. An’ 1 
knows it’s been agreed since we’ve got back here that 
you’re to have a try at the doin’ of it.” 

“ And what then?” Howard demanded, as the sea- 
man stopped and regarded him curiously. 

“ That’s just what I says, says I, ‘ Then what? ’ I 
knows it’s been agreed since we’ve got back here that 
a kind to take orders forever from the boy Almagro. 
An’ there be none o’ his party, even Juan de Rada, what 
can teach you anything as a leader. An’ when the mar- 
quis, they both hates so, has gone under before Diego 
an’ the Inca — as he will, I thinks — an’ you has the com- 
mand o’ the Indian army — an’ what man ever served 
under you a week that wouldn’t follow you to Davy 
Jones? — then, says I, ‘ Then what? ’ ” 

For full five moments neither spoke a word. 

“ Roaring Dick,” the adventurer said at length, in his 
usual indifferent tone, “ the utterance of so strange a 
supposition betrays unusual effort of the imagination 
on your part. Do you wish me to understand that 
you’ve been thinking ? ” 

“ Aye, an’ I has been thinkin’ devilish hard, too. Mas- 
ter Grafton,” averred Richard Ruggles. 

“ Then, my friend, give your brain a rest. You 
needn’t think, do you hear ? /’// do all that sort of labor 
for both of us.” 

“ But, Cap’n Grafton ” 

“ As for the answer to your question,” Howard 
stopped the seaman’s further utterance by an impatient 
gesture, “ you know that I’m engaged to the cause of 
Almagro against Pizarro. That should be sufficient for 
you.” 

“ Aye, you always stands to a bargain, I knows ; so 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


89 

my first question’s, answered, an’ thank you kindly, 
Cap’n Grafton. An’ now, by your leave, we comes to 
my second : Does you wish to make a prosperous voy- 
age o’ the venture.^ ” 

“ That’s the question of a fool. Roaring Dick. You 
can’t seriously wish me to go to the trouble of replying 
to it,” his captain smiled. 

“ Foolish or not, it’s the question of one who sees 
breakers ahead, an’ sunken reefs that he should ha’ 
thought your eyes would make out in a minute. Now, 
Cap’n Grafton, I’m a-goin’ to speak my mind plainer 
yet. When we rounded to an’ hove anchor at this here 
house, three days agone, you was just as much pleased 
as you were surprised, to find that your old friend, 
Cap’n Shoreham, had quietly brought his daughter 
along with him an’ come down from his rancho in the 
mountains, to pay a visit to young Almagro. You was 
glad to see the girl again, I say, an’ has spent most o’ 
your time in her company, ever since.” 

“ To repeat your own quandary, ‘ Then what ? ’ Roar- 
ing Dick ? ” the adventurer smiled, coldly. 

” Master Grafton,” Richard continued, with impres- 
sive solemnity, ” in this here ocean o’ life, what we 
voyages upon from day to day, an’ never slackens sail 
for a minute, sleepin’ or wakin’, there be many tides an’ 
currents, many shoals an’ quicksands, that takes a deal 
o’ skillful steerin’ to avoid. There be rocks that you 
never sees until you is plump upon ’em, there be reefs 
that you never dreams on until their teeth is a-grindin’ 
an’ crunchin’ your timbers. And, by God! Master 
Grafton, the dangerousest o’ them rocks an’ reefs, the 
ones that smashes the greatest number 0’ stout vessels 
to chips, from one year’s end to another — them’s 
women I ” 

“ You’re eloquent, I must say. Roaring Dick,” How- 
ard returned, in rather graver accents. “ Suppose I 
try and give you back words in your own strain. Roar- 
ing Richard Ruggles, when the mariner sets his course 
and guided his bark upon the troubled waves of ex- 
istence, he follows no blind track. There are rules and 
principles, true and not to be disputed for a moment, 
by regarding which he may so direct the sailing of his 
ship, that all those rocks and reefs, those shoals and 


90 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


quicksands, you so vividly call to mind, may be avoided. 
There are stars that the blackest storms of life can not 
dim, stars that never pale and never escape the eyes 
of him who looks for them, the stars of Honor, Truth, 
and Love. The basest of us recognize those everlasting 
planets, even though they fain would see them not. The 
best of men hold Hoser to the course they mark, and 
have a stronger regard for their noble radiance — be- 
cause of what ? Why, Roaring Dick, because of wom- 
en ! ” 

Richard grunted, contemptuously. 

“ Cap’n Grafton, we each has his opinion o’ the sex. 
An’ we might talk until snow was deep in Tartarus, an’ 
neither convert the other. But what I wants to say in 
plain words is this : Sheer off, I begs you, from Mis- 
tress Isabel Shoreham. If I know anything o’ what 
is in the wind, by the signs o’ man’s face an’ carriage, 
the plans Juan de Rada has in his head are about ripe 
for execution. In a venture o’ this nature, one slip may 
bring the whole to grief. An’ it’s unwise, to say the 
least, to stir up ill-feelin’s in any one o’ the Dons that 
we has to keep hand-in-glove with for the present. 
You take me? ” 

“ No, I’ll be hanged if I do,” Grafton answered, earn- 
estly, for he saw that Roaring Richard was far from 
disposed to trifling. “ What the devil do you mean ? ” 

” That Don Geronimo de Alvarado is fairly on his 
beam ends, an’ all along o’ that very same reef. Mistress 
Isabel. He’s struck his colors to her, lowered his flag 
the minute he set eyes on her up among the hills; 
an’ now he makes sail in her wake an’ keeps with her on 
every tack. The lad’s a fine lad, Cap’n Grafton, an’ a 
better messmate an’ companion for a voyage, inland or 
outland, I wouldn’t wish. But take my word for it, he 
has a nasty temper o’ his own ; an’ the man that comes 
between him an’ his wishes to pay court to Mistress' 
Shoreham, he won’t view with kindly eyes. So be 
warned in time.” 

” Nonsence, old friend ! Though I’m grateful for the 
intention, do you think the caution necessary ? I have a; 
sword, you must have forgotten that, eh?” the Eng- 
lishman touched the heavy hilt meaningly with his fore- 
finger. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


91 


‘‘ Oh, in a fair duello I’d take no thought on your 
account, Cap’n Grafton,” Ruggles grinned, apprecia- 
tively. ” ’Twould be the heirs of Alvarado that would 
bless you ! But I told you before that I has no cer- 
tainty o’ what may come to pass in this here unchristian 
clime. The boy Geronimo is a lad that one’s heart 
warms to. But he’s a Don, for all that. Cap’n Grafton, 
these here Dons is poison ! ” 

“ Hold, no more of that, Roaring Dick,” his captain 
sternly interrupted. ” Geronimo de Alvarado I hold 
to be a gentleman, chivalrous and knightly as any cava- 
lier I have ever known. Should there be rivalry be- 
tween him and me, no matter in what question, I would 
stake my own honor upon the integrity of his. Not, 
mind you, that I suppose any feeling upon the matter 
you mention could exist in his brain for a moment. He 
is too sensible to mistake the kindly interest of an old 
friend, such as I have for Mistress Isabel, for anything 
of deeper import.” 

“ Aye, if you say so, Cap’n Grafton,” Richard re- 
sponded with a sigh, ” I suppose it be all correct an’ 
comfortable. I trusts, though, that Master Diego de 
Almagro will look upon the confidential bit o’ chatter 
you had wi’ the Rose of Rimac, as they call her, yester 
e’en as the sun went down, in the same spirit as you 
imputes to Don Geronimo de Alvarado.” 

” Saint George of England ! will there ever be an end 
to your croaking, shipmate mine ? ” laughed Howard, 
turning his face toward the wall. “ I’ve answered you 
enough to-day, haven’t I? Let me sleep now, Dick, 
I’m drowsy.” 

” I’ve no more to say, Cap’n Grafton. Only you 
knows as well as I does that no affair o’ state ever went 
right with a woman’s finger so much as touchin’ the 
tiller. Keep clear o’ the petticoats, an’ your head an’ 
hand will carry us through. But if that girl, the Rose 
of Rimac, pokes her pretty nose into the pudding — 
whew ! ” and Roaring Dick whistled emphatically, as 
he waddled over and took possession of his own couch. 

” You 'don’t fancy her then, Dick Ruggles ? ” Grafton 
muttered, sleepily. 

“ I don’t. She’s no good,” the seaman asserted, and 
presently was fast asleep. 


92 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Despite his late assurances of drowsiness, Howard 
did not at once succeed in following Roaring Richard’s 
example. The mariner’s words had fired a train of 
thought and awakened ideas already half formed in his 
brain, and he lay for long, steadily regarding the ceiling 
through half-closed eyelids. The slumber that came to 
him at last, while it invigorated, did not effectually 
smoothe out the wrinkles from his brow. 

“ You seem moody and preoccupied to-night. Master 
Howard,” Isabel Shoreham informed him, as he slowly 
sauntered by her side that evening, along a path of the 
luxuriant flowered garden that bloomed about the 
dwelling of Almagro. 

“ I hope that you are not going to become like all 
the rest here, and move about as if your every step 
should of right be shrouded in mystery,” she added, a 
trifle impatiently. 

“ Nay, Isabel, you read not my face aright,” he pro- 
tested, gayly, forcing the lips, a moment before com- 
pressed, to smile. ” In such a presence to think of aught 
but the joy of being here were churlish indeed.” 

” I did not ask for a compliment,” the girl said, con- 
temptuously. ” You should know me better than to 
think I am to be put off with such meaningless words. 
Your mind is distracted, you have not listened at all 
to what I have been saying since we left the house. I 
suppose you are only engrossed, though, by the same 
weightly business that troubles Diego de Almagro and 
Juan de Rada, and causes even my father to pace the 
room, tugging at his beard while he keeps his eyes fixed 
on the floor. Ah, how I wish we had remained at home 
and never come here ! ” she sighed. 

“ You find Ciudad de los Reyes dull then, Isabel? ” 
Grafton demanded. ” You would wish to go back to 
your crags and forests?” 

“ Willingly, most willingly would I return to them,” 
she answered, eagerly. ” Why, there I was free to do 
as I liked, no moment of the day hung heavy on my 
hands. Here I cannot even pass the threshold without 
attendance ; and that my father is too much occupied to 
afford me. So I must needs amuse myself with moping, 
about the house. I can assure you it is very hard 
work.” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


93 


“ The Sehor Geronimo de Alvarado seems not averse 


! 

i 

I 


to helping you,” Howard suggested mischievously. “ I 
have noted that he seems to be ever at your command.” 

“ Yes, he is very kind. He knows beautiful poetry 
and recites it effectively. And he sings well and has a 
clever trick of his fingers at the guitar. Yet one cannot 
listen to verses and roundelays forever. However 
greatly they appeal to one, they grow tiresome in the 
end,” Isabel complained. 

” But this quiet life you seem to dislike so much may 
not last long, Isabel,” he hastened to say. “Before very 
many days all may be changed. Perhaps you may find 
more pleasure in rhymes and ballads when they are 
voiced not by one, but by a score of adoring cavaliers. 
I may safely tell you that, shall the plans that now take 
up your father’s time be fortunately carried out, a bril- 
liant future will undoubtedly be the lot of his daughter.” 

“ And by a brilliant future you mean, Master How- 
ard ? ” the maiden queried, with a half-ironical smile 
parting her lips. 

“ All that the words can suggest to the feminine 
mind. Mistress Shoreham,” her companion answered; 
and there was no doubt as to the sarcastic play of his 
own mouth. “ Wealth that can purchase bountiful store 
of costly jewels and gorgeous garments. Station that 
will enable its possessor to move continually amid those 
highest in rank in the province. Balls and fetes, hunt- 
ing parties, tourneys, and gala days in endless succes- 
sion ; with hosts of sighing swains to kneel in willing 
slavery at the feet of beauty.” 

“ Where they would not be wanted at all, I can tell 
you. Master Howard. I should consider such a state 
of existence as you picture more tiresome than the 
days I now endure so patiently. Agree with me that 
I am patient, or I shall call you my friend no longer.” 

“ You are patience itself, Isabel,” the adventurer 
laughed. “ But virtue must have its reward ; and your 
sex never find the homage of mine unpleasing. Would 
you not feel delight if you knew that the Caballeros of 
the city daily emptied to your health as many cups as 
they now do to that of the Rose of Rimac ? ” 

“ Ah, I have heard of her, of the lovely Senorita 
Picado ” — the voice of Isabel did not want for interest 


94 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


now. “ You have seen her, I suppose, Master Howard? 
Tell me, is she so beautiful as they say? ” 

“ She is a very beautiful woman, the most beautiful 
I have ever seen,” Grafton Howard rejoined, with con- 
viction. 

Perhaps his fair companion expected a different 
/ answer. At all events, she sighed, and for some mo- 
' ments she was silent. They reached a small bench or 
rustic chair, placed at an angle of the pathway, and, as 
if by common consent, they sat down. 

” And — do you think the Senorita Picado finds the 
homage of the gentlemen of Peru to her taste. Master 
Howard ? ” Isabel asked at length in a somewhat hesi- 
tating manner. 

” Probably. Though I should not venture an opinion, 
as Pve never given the matter thought until now,” Graf- 
ton laughed, indifferently. 

You have not joined the ranks of her slaves, then ? ” 
she murmured, with assumed carelessness. 

“ I ! No, I have other matters to think of,” he replied, 
promptly. ” What should such as I have in common 
with the Rose of Rimac ? ” 

“ And those ‘ other matters ’ — they bear upon your 
lot in the future, is it not so. Master Howard ? ” the 
girl suggested, in softer tones. “ You have told me 
what perchance may fall to me if all goes well. What 
do you look for yourself, what stake attracts you in 
the game that all seem to be engaged in ? ” 

“ Oh, my hopes are vague and ill-defined, Isabel,” he 
responded, lightly. ‘‘ I am a very humble individual, 
you know, a simple subordinate to Almagro and Juan 
de Rada in all that they purpose. I ask only to live 
and am content to be let live ; so long as I am humored 
in that, I am satisfied. If I can help them I will do so, 
but out of sheer good nature.” 

” I think you are laughing at me,” Isabel said, after 
she had studied his face beneath the star light for some 
moments. ” I hope you are, at all events. For if yon 
have really told me the truth. Master Howard, I am 
sorry.” 

“ And why? Should not one wish to enjoy the de- 
lights of life, and therefore, take care to avoid its wor- 
ries and perplexities, Isabel?” he was beginning, but 
she motioned him to cease. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


95 


‘‘ Not such a one as you, Master Grafton Howard,” 
she asserted, stoutly. “ You are strong and brave, you 
have a head upon your shoulders. You have come to 
a land where the greatest rewards man can desire have 
been achieved, by strength and valor not a whit supe- 
rior to yours. The times are those that favor men of 
your character — I am not so uninformed of how mat- 
ters stand as you may think. Amid the events that you 
hint are not far away from us now, you should not be 
content to play an unimportant part. You must not 
allow those who you know are not your equals to thrust 
themselves before you. A warrior of your experience 
must not rest satisfied with the position of humble lieu- 
tenant to Diego de Almagro.” 

“ You grow quite enthusiastic, Isabel,” he smiled, 
watching the expression of her features with a some- 
thing in his eyes that was certainly not displeasure. 

” As I needs cannot help, with such a subject for my 
ardor. There, you are repaid now for your silly speech 
to me,” she retorted, laughing, but nevertheless flush- 
ing scarlet. 

” But, Master Howard,” she continued, earnestly. 
“ I am not speaking in jest, believe me. I have 
heard my father talk of your capabilities too often 
to doubt them ; and a closer acquaintance has but con- 
firmed me in a belief in the soundness of his judgment. 
It pains me, therefore, to hear such slothful and ignoble 
purposes expressed, even in raillery, as the true thoughts 
and aims of a man like you.” 

“ A man like me ! ” Howard muttered, slowly, a 
strain of bitter irony underlying his habitual indiffer- 
ence of speech. 

. “ What know you of the sort of man I am, Isabel, 
and what can you imagine of the fruits of a life such 
as mine? Listen, and judge for yourself how much 
warrant I may have for building castles in the air. The 
younger son of a younger son, I could look for nothing 
from my father. The petty persecutions of a shrewish 
stepmother drove me from home at an early age. I am 
not an old man now, yet for the past seventeen years I 
have made my own way in the world, and made it by 
rny sword. I have served in most of the armies of 
Europe, I have followed the soldier’s trade, both by sea 


96 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


and land. It has been my lot to trail a pike as a simple 
-fantassin; again my word has been law to a force, great- 
er than Pizarro ever commanded. I have been saved 
from starvation by the gift of a loaf, bestowed by a kind- 
ly peasant woman; I have had at my disposal golden 
ducats by the thousand. I have climbed to heights, 
great indeed when viewed in comparison with the val- 
leys whence I started — only to fall with bewildering 
rapidity into depths far lower. My last venture seemed 
crowned with success; and the ocean robbed me in a 
moment of the gains of months of toil. After all my 
plans and labors, perils faced and difficulties overcome, 
I find myself as poor in wealth and power as when I 
first began. My sword remains to me, but besides that 
what else is left ? ” 

Isabel rose abruptly from the bench. 

“ You have your honor,” she said, simply. Unheed- 
ing his movement to stay her, she walked swiftly away 
and disappeared into the house. 

Left alone, the adventurer sat for a time absorbed in 
his reflections. At last he sprang to his feet with a 
hard, short laugh. 

“ Twice in one day I ” he said to the night, half aloud. 
“ First Roaring Dick, then little Isabel ! Ambition ! 
are you only asleep then instead of dead, as I fancied ? 
Bah ! old enemy, you must be dead, you must indeed ! ” 

Yet the light in his eyes, as he, too, sought the dwell- 
ing of Almagro, gave his last words the lie. 

The chiefs of the Men of Chile gathered in strong 
numbers upon that night to hear the report of the en- 
voys, both to the Inca and the royal governor. They 
sat late, in close council, and their conference ended 
only with the dawn. 


CHAPTER X. 

AT A woman's bidding. 

Upon the evening of Saturday, the twenty-fifth of 
June, an entertainment of more than the usual magnifi- 
cence was in progress at the palace of the governor- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


97 


general. Illiterate, a stranger to the pleasures enjoyed 
by the possessor of a refined and cultured understand- 
ing, Francisco Pizarro loved to pass his leisure hours 
in the society of his friends. His table, therefore, was 
never without guests. But on this occasion a greater 
number of invitations than was customary had been 
sent out, and cavaliers from all parts of the valley had 
assembled to enjoy the hospitality of the marquis. 

At tables upon which appeared a variety of viands, 
that testified no less to the great resources of the em- 
pire of the Incas than did the gorgeous plate employed 
in the serving bear witness to the gratified rapacity of 
the Conquistador, the appetites of those bidden to the 
feast had been sated. At the conclusion of the meal, 
they had withdrawn to another apartment, lavishly en- 
riched with the spoils of the plundered kingdom, where 
the further amusement of the evening was to be con- 
tinued. 

The chairs that stood about the numerous small 
tables were speedily filled. Pages, richly attired in liv- 
eries more showy than tasteful, passed unceasingly 
among the different groups, busily employed in dis- 
pensing the rich wines of Spain and France, whose im- 
portation the great wealth of the adventurers who held 
Peru admitted, even at that early period. Conversation 
was brisk, and a continual clatter of rough witticisms 
uttered by tongues, thickened and growing almost bois- 
terous from the juice of the grape, filled the room; 
while above all rose the unvarying, monotonous, dry 
rattle of the dice. 

At a board placed for coolness near one of the open 
windows, the play seemed to be higher and the tongues 
of the gamesters more unlicensed than at any other in 
the room. 

“ Lost again ! muerte del diablo! and by one point only, 
to you once more, most reverend ! Puta! ” ejacu- 
lated vindictively Francisco de Chaves, a Spaniard high 
in favor with the marquis, his bold, ill-omened eyes 
flashing an ugly'look at the bishop-elect of Quito, whose 
fat, heavily ringed fingers were eagerly gathering in a 
pile of glittering ducats, that had formed the stake for 
the last hazard. 

“ The church is in the vein to-night, it seems, but 


98 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


hasta manana, the game is not over yet ! Before weVe 
through he may have to pawn that gold crucifix, and 
if he dare go to such a pass let him beware of me. I’ll 
inflict the full penalty of the law for sacrilege,” grinned 
a sallow-visaged, malicious voiced man, attired in 
magisterial black, Velasquez, royal judge of the prov- 
ince. 

“ And how about when you yourself are dead and 
roasting? — as you will,” broke in the sharp tones of 
the secretary, Picado. Dios de mi alma ! but you’d 
best keep on the good side of his grace ! He holds the 
keys to Paradise.” 

“Yes, hi jo mio, and will remember those kind in- 
tentions when it comes to your entrance there. O, 
Virgin santissima! but a beggarly five in all for me 
this time,” wheezed the corpulent churchman, regard- 
ing with dismay a pair of duces and an ace that he had 
just thrown. 

“ Six and deuce five,” laconically announced a hand- 
some cavalier, of perhaps forty, self-contained and 
knightly in demeanor, who sat at the bishop’s left, and 
followed his cast. The dress of this person, rich, but 
without the gaudy profusion of gems and gold affected 
by most of the assemblage, marked him as one of no 
mean rank. Drinking freely, as the most intemperate, 
the wine seemed to have no perceptible effect upon him, 
he remaining throughout punctiliously courteous and 
suave in his bearing. This was Don Martinez de Al- 
cantara, half-brother to the marquis. 

After him, Riquelme, treasurer for the crown, 
grasped the cup ; his sumptuous apparel, far more cost- 
ly than the salary, allowed by his royal master could 
warrant, already disarranged, and set awry in the ex- 
citement of the game. His oath, as he saw that the dice 
counted him but nine points, caused the bishop to roll 
his eyes upward at its sacrilege. 

” Unless you send me another golden candlestick, I 
can give you no hope of pardon for such profane words. 
Shameful, hi jo Riquelme! ” he hiccoughed, reaching 
out for another brimming beaker of wine. 

Picaro, Velasquez, and De Chaves tried their fortune, 
the first two loudly inveighing against their ill-luck, 
the last uttering a cry of triumph as he rolled three 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 99 

sixes out upon the board. Last of all Francisco Pizarro 
threw, his practiced fingers twirling the ivory cubes 
with the easy turn of the hand, that betrayed the long 
habituated player. De Chaves won, and a murmur of 
rough badinage and half-envious congratulation greeted 
him, for the stake was heavier than any they had yet 
played for. Only Picado grinned maliciously and 
chuckled to himself. 

“ He’s generous minded to-night ! I must take care 
that something falls to me. Patience, and wait the 
chance ! ” 

For Picado alone had seen that the marquis had 
cheated, aiding the decree of fortune with a swift touch 
of his finger, in order that his favorite might not lose. 
Such practices were not foreign to the nature of Fran- 
cisco Pizarro; caring nothing for the winning, and crav- 
ing only the joys of play, he frequently allowed an 
opponent to win from him considerable sums. 

And so thedicingprogressed,the tide of fortune grad- 
ually leaving the bishop, and rendering him more and 
more lachrymose with every main and every cup of 
wine; the judge, the secretary, and the treasurer, like- 
wise seeking solace in the liquor, shouted aloud over 
their gains, proclaimed their losses in vilest profanity. 
De Chaves, almost constantly a winner, was drunk with 
the growth of the vine and the greed of gain. Pizarro 
and Alcantara both were sober as when they began. 
The marquis drank but little, his brother had a head of 
iron. 

The pile of ducats before Francisco de Chaves had 
assumed magnificent proportions. 

''Vaya! I’ll strip you all if you stay by me!” he 
cried, rattling the dice in the cup, held high above his 
head. ” I’ve enougjfi before me now to equip an army ! 
Yes, santissima Madre! I think, an army,” he reiterated 
slowly, with tipsy gravity. 

” Aye, so you have, Francisco,” the governor-gen- 
eral remarked, regarding his favorite with a complacent 
eye. ” What will you do with so much, prodigal that 
you are ? ” 

” He might lend it to young Almagro. Por Dios! 
how the men of Chile would welcome it, eh ! ” sneered 
Velasquez. 


lOO 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Picado Uttered a sharp exclamation. 

“ The men of Chile 1 ” he cried, “ Cristo ! and I had 
almost forgot! Your excellency remembers that I 
sought to speak with you in private ere we dined, but 
you put me off and bade me wait until later. Will it 
please you to walk aside with me for a few moments? 
1 have tidings for your ear that you should hear with- 
out further delay.’' 

“ What you have to tell me, does it concern the men 
of Chile, Picado ? ” the marquis asked, indifferently. 

“ Yes, and when ” 

“ Tell it here then,” Pizarro interrupted, decidedly. 

“ So far as I’m concerned, all present may share the 
secret. I care not a maravedi about the concealing 
anything relating to that band of scarecrows. And 
you, my friend, had best not rise from your seat. I fear 
your legs would prove much less steady than usual.” 

” Since you wish it, excellency, I will tell all the com- 
pany. But I hope you understand that I am not at all 
drunk,” Picado said, rolling a pair of eyes that were be- 
come somewhat misty about the table, 

“No, no, go on, proceed,” they cried. The bishop 
muttered inarticulately and wiped a tear from the cor- 
ner of his eye. De Chaves drained a cup of wine at a 
draught, leaned over his winnings as if about to em- 
brace them, and let his head sink down amid the spark- 
ling pieces in drunken slumber. 

” Well, then,” Picado continued, assuming as im- 
pressive a manner as was in his power, “ the men of 
Chile are plotting against the well-being and happiness 
of your excellency.” 

” They’ve been doing that ever since we buried old 
Almagro,” the governor-general said, contemptuously. 
” That news is neither new nor important.” 

” Yes, but this time they mean work, excellency. 
They have decided upon nothing less than your assas- 
sination,” the secretary belched out, with increasing 
inebriety marking his utterance. 

“ Pish I a pretty fable that you are making up of 
whole cloth ! You have been dreaming or else you are 
drunker than you seem,” the conqueror of Peru laughed 
in disdain. 

''For Dios! I am neither drunk nor dreaming! I 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


lOI 


tell you it is so. Old Juan de Rada is the mover of the 
affair, and you know him. He has laid all his plans 
for the deed and bound his fellow conspirators to se- 
crecy by solemn oaths,*’ Picardo was declaring ener- 
getically. 

“ Then how the devil do you come to know anything 
about it? Are you pledged to the party of Almagro? ” 
demanded Pizarro, bluntly. 

“ Excellency, I am not. One of the wretches had 
compunctions, and revealed the whole to his confessor, 
who lost no time in warning me of the harm they in 
tend you,” the secretary answered triumphantly. 

“ O, all-protecting arm of Mother Church ! Ever 
watchful for your welfare, hi jo mio! ” stuttered the 
bishop, while the tears rolled down his cheeks. 

“ Folly ! The priest wants a miter, that is all. What 
say you, Velasquez? ” and the marquis turned smilingly 
to the royal judge. 

“Too incredible for belief, excellency,” the magis- 
trate asserted, positively. “ Yet, true or false, it need 
give you no concern. While the rod of justice remains 
in my hands no harm shall come to you.” 

“ No, I am quite convinced of that,” Francisco Pi- 
zarro answered dryly. “ And when do they count on 
killing me, Picado ; did you learn that likewise ? ” 

“ To-morrow, excellency, is the time appointed. 
They think to fall upon you as you return from mass,” 
his chief adviser rejoined. 

“ The wretches ! would they do such bloody deeds 
upon a Sunday? O, infamous! Excommunicabo ! ana- 
thema! ” ejaculated his grace of Quito, in pious horror. 

“ They shall have the chance. If they make the at- 
tempt let them look to themselves. As for Juan de 
Rada, Fll have him torn asunder by horses,” the gover- 
nor-general muttered grimly. 

“ In my opinion, it would be better that you remain 
at home and attend no mass to-morrow, brother,” 
gravely broke in Don Martinez de Alcantara. “ Re- 
member, these unfortunate men have been pushed to the 
last extremities and are well-nigh desperate in their 
misery. Why drive them to destruction? If you go 
not forth, they will imagine that their crime is known 
to you, and will of themselves disperse. Let me ask 
of you as a favor to follow my wishes in this.” 


102 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Pizarro regarded him with an affectionate gaze. 

“ Be it so/' he said, at length. “ Since you wish it 
I will not go to face this danger, which is not at all my 
habit, as you know. See, De Chaves has succumbed, 
and we have all had enough play. I am going to bed, 
Caballeros, but as for you, please yourselves. Remem- 
ber, you all remain as my guests over to-morrow. Pi- 
cado, I want a word with you before I sleep. Come 
with me, I will not keep you long.” 

The marquis and his secretary retired together to 
another apartment. For full a quarter of an hour they 
remained there closeted. At the end of that time Picado 
issued forth, his head held haughtily erect, his wizened 
face abeam with delight and pride, his consequential 
strut attempting a dignified carriage, in spite of legs that 
occasionally would cross. 

Casting his eyes with tipsy disdain over the score of 
drunken cavaliers, who still hung over the tables, he 
muttered to himself: “What will they say! O, dios! 
what won’t they say ! There’s Herera, and Ribaldavia, 
and Puerto-palacio, and a dozen more ! And they’re 
all drunk ! And every one of ’em is dying for her ! 
And the bishop, too, he’d like her himself, though he’s 
a churchman 1 and he’s drunk, too ! And De Chaves I — 
a good sword, and the marquis loves him like a son ! — 
and lets him win at play I — and he’s drunk, too I — but 
I’m not drunk ! I know what would make them wild — 
wilder than the wine. And I’ve a mind to tell them. 
No, no, I won’t. The marquis said I wasn’t to tell 
anyone. And I’m to stay here all night, and not go 
home. Yes, I will, too. I’ll go and tell her, and come 
right back. Yes, I’ll tell her; I must tell somebody. 
So I’ll tell Rosa! Ha! ha! I’ll tell Rosa! ” and, reel- 
ing at times as he walked, he left the palace. 

The Rose of Rimac had not allowed to pass unim- 
proved so favorable an opportunity for a meeting with 
her lover as that evening afforded. Her maid, Dolores, 
the usual trusty messenger between them, had informed’ 
Diego de Almagro of the father’s intended absence; 
and scarcely had the darkness fallen when that for- 
tunate cavalier had hastened to their customary ren- 
dezvous, the pavilion in the garden. 

As always when there, the hours had traveled for 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. I03 

him on winged fee and the ardent adorer was scarcely 
able to believe his utiuved one when at last she warned 
him that it would be imprudent for her to remain long- 
er in his company. 

“ Surely, you mistake the time, Rosa,” he urged. 
“ Why, it is scarce five minutes since thou earnest here 
to me ! ” 

” Ah, my Diego, if that were only true ! It is hard, 
very hard, for me to bid thee leave me. Yet Dolores 
has made the signal that tells me we must part. The 
girl would not dare to rob me of a second of happi- 
ness ; nor, methinks, would she wish to do so, for she 
loves me well. Thou must away, emperor of my soul ; 
to tarry later were to run the risk of thy discovery, 
for my father should by now be on his way home. Yet 
my heart aches to bid thee go from my side. Ah, my 
beloved, how long, how long ! ” she sighed, wistfully. 

“ Sooner than thou mayest dream, far sooner than 
thy wildest thoughts could image, my queen, my Rosa,” 
the impulsive Almagro replied, carried away for the 
moment by a wave of passion that shook his youthfuf 
frame to the very foundations. What wouldst thou 
say if I should tell thee that ere another — Dios mio! 
what was I about to say ? ” He checked his rapid rush 
of words and bit his lip. 

“ Continue, my Diego, thou knowest well how eager 
I am to hear thee,” she whispered, breathlessly. ‘‘ Ah, 
when thou speakest thus, my heart of hearts, thou 
dost indeed make me to believe that all shall be well 
with us. Go on, querido, I am waiting. Thou saidst 
' Ere another ’ — another what ? ” 

“ Nothing — nothing, my Rosa,” Diego faltered, in- 
wardly cursing himself for his impetuosity. ’Twas 
of no moment, believe me.” 

” But I will know. Thou saidst ‘ Ere another,’ and 
thou hadst another something in mind. Another what ? 
I say. Tell me ! ” she commanded. 

“ I — I only meant that ere another meeting such 
as this be granted me, the heart of thy father may have 
relented,” he lamely stammered. 

“ That is not true, Diego. There was no such 
thought in thy mind. Tell me at once what thou really 
didst mean to say. Tell me,” the girl reiterated, per- 
suasively. 


104 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


** Nay, nay, Rosa, indeed, but that was all. I heeded 
not my words ; the thought that I must leave thee made 
me mad ; I was not myself,” Almagro was protesting. 

“ No. And thou hast not been thyself all the even- 
ing,” she interrupted, with impatience. “ Thy mind at 
times has wandered from me. I have had to repeat 
thrice over what I have said to thee. Something 
troubles thee, Diego, and I would bear thy troubles, 
darling of my dearest hopes ! So, tell me 1 ” 

“Troubles! Nay, thou knowest well that my life is 
full of them, my own,” he tried to answer carelessly. 
“ Enough of them I have told thee, and I would not 
burden further thy heart, tender and sorrowing, I 
know, for all that grieveth me. Come, ’tis late, and 

I must go. Good night, my Rosa, and ” But she 

slipped away as he tried to take her in his arms. 

“ I will not kiss you,” she pouted. “ There is some- 
thing that you are hiding from me, and until I know 
it you shall not lay your lips on mine. You are hot to 
go now, though but a moment since and you were as 
burning to stay. Go, then, and think not to come hither 
again very soon. ’Twill be long ere I send for you. 
Good night, Senor Almagro,” in tones chilled and dis- 
tant. 

“ But, Rosa,” the tortured youth protested, with 
tears starting into his eyes. 

“ No, I wish to hear no more. Dolores grows impa- 
tient, too, she signals me again. Good night.” 

The Rose of Rimac made as if she would leave the 
pavilion. She had no real intention of going. 

“ You shall not leave me thus,” he cried, grasping 
her hand ere she could evade him. In truth, the lady 
made but a pretense of trying. “ Thou art cruel, Rosa, 
thou knowest well how such conduct tears my heart. 
Were the secret mine alone ” 

He paused again in confusion. 

“ There is a secret, then,” she retorted, triumphant- 
ly. “ There was something that you were about to say, 
other than your pretended explanation. And to try 
and hide it you have told what was not the truth. 
Diego de Almagro, let me go! Let me go, I say, for 
you have lied to me ! ” 

Almagro dropped her fingers and stepped back, fold- 
ing his arms. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. I05, 

And if I have/’ he said, coldly, “ it is only that 1 
had no other course to follow. I came near speaking 
words that I have no right to speak. Your anger with 
me is but my fitting punishment. I will endeavor to 
bear it with patience. Good night, Senorita Picado.” 

The icy mood of the Rose of Rimac seemed suddenly 
to change. She moved imperceptibly nearer to the now 
impassive cavalier. 

“ And is it thus that you can speak to me, Diego? ” 
she said, with mournful deliberation, and an undoubted 
trembling in her tones. “ You, whom I have so pas- 
sionately worshiped ; you, who alone of all the knights 
that burned to do me service I have ever granted a 
word in private. You, who have so often sworn that 
you held me above all the world — aye, even above your 
hopes of Paradise — you can speak to me like this! O, 
Diego, how blind, how blind I was ! I thought you 
all that the flower of knighthood should be ; I glorified 
you as the personification of truth and honor ! And 
now — now your voice is unfeeling and your eyes have 
no love light in them, and you bid me ‘ good night ’ 
with no more emotion — Diego, Diego, I thought you 
loved me I ” 

Her voice broke with a choking sob, and she burst 
into a fit of weeping. 

Happy the man, and worthy the name of man, who 
can discern what lies behind the tears of woman ! 

Diego de Almagro’s heart was not formed to with- 
stand unmoved such tempests. He sprang to the side 
of the weeping beauty and crushed her passionately to 
his breast. 

“ Rosa, my Rosa,” he cried, in accents anguished as 
her own, “ cease, I beseech thee ; dost thou not see 
that thou art breaking my heart ? Love thee ! Thou 
canst not doubt that! Hear me — by the grave of my 
father, by all that I hold sacred, I love thee better than 
life, better than heaven itself.” 

“ Thou sayest so,” she whispered, still sobbing ; “ yet 
words are easy to utter.” 

“ Not words alone ; deeds shall prove my love be- 
yond question,” he asserted, eagerly. 

“ Aye, so thou ever sayest, Diego, but saying is not 
doing,” she continued, in doubtful accents. 


I06 THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 

^'Virgin dolorosa! why wilt thou still not be ap- 
peased. Ask of me what thou hast a mind to ask; 
speak to me in scorn, as thou didst but now ; but never 
— oh, never, my Rosa — never doubt that I love thee ! ” 

“ Then prove thy love — here, at once,” she murmured, 
in tones that were to his enraptured ear as the voices of 
the angels. “ Prove beyond question thy love, and 1 
will believe in it always. Forever and forever will I 
hold thee true, Diego, if thou wilt prove thy love this 
night.” 

Her kisses rained upon his lips, her arms crept ten- 
derly about his neck. 

“ Wilt thou? Wilt thou, truly, my Rosa? ” he cried, 
in joy as strong as his recent depression. “ Ah, my 
own, thou art sure that I love thee ! ” 

“ Prove it, then,” she muttered again, between her 
kisses. 

“ And how ? show me but the way, my queen, my 
queen, my queen ! ” Diego stammered, ecstatically. 

“ Tell we what thou wouldst have held back from 
me. Then I will know that thou lovest me,” she 
sighed, enchantingly. 

Dios de mi alma I thou askest the only thing I can 
not do! It concerns others than me. The lives of a 
score of gallant gentlemen are at stake. Besides, I 
am sworn to secrecy. In asking what thou dost of me, 
thou askest my honor, Rosa, dost thou understand? 
My word is given to reveal to no one what thou wouldst 
have me tell.” 

“ Ah, but that applies not to me, Diego,” she has- 
tened to breathe into his ear. “ Hast thou not often 
told me that we are one ; that I am thy wife ; that be- 
fore God thou and I are but one being? And now, 
wouldst thou have me, who have thought it truth, be- 
lieve that thou meantst not what thou ledst me to re- 
gard as the words of the angels themselves? Tell me, 
my Diego, prove thy trust and love for me. Prove that 
I am indeed thy wife, thy other self ! ” 

The eyes of Almagro were flaming like those of a 
tiger in the dark. 

“ Thou hast spoken truth. Thou art indeed my wife. 
God has joined us,” he said, hoarsely. “ I will tell thee 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. I07 

all. Rememoer, 1 have sworn silence for thee as well 
as myself.” 

“1 swear that I will never betray thee, my Diego, in 
word or even thought. May God punish me if I keep 
not mine oath!” the Rose of Rimac answered, sol- 
emnly. 

^ “ What thou wouldst know is simply this: To-mor- 
row, as the marquis returns from mass, he will be met 
by Juan de Rada and the chiefs of the Men of Chile. 
When they have done with him — well, Pizarro will be 
ho more.” Diego breathed easier, and even laughed as 
he concluded. 

“They are going to murder the governor-general, 
then ? ” the Rose cried, with a little shudder. 

” Nay, love, no murder will it be. The marquis al- 
ways goes well attended ; his friends will be a match in 
numbers for mine. Call it a battle, rather. Indeed, we 
have our plan of campaign. De Rada will assemble 
his army in the great room at my house. From the 
.window our outpost, little Huerfano, the cobbler, can 
be seen. When he makes the signal that tells us the 
marquis returns, my friends will sally forth ; and not 
till then. So, you see, it is a regular combat, not at all 
like murder, my Rosa.” 

“ But you will be in danger ; you may be killed,” she 
exclaimed, in sudden alarm. 

“ No,” Almagro answered, moodily. “ De Rada will 
not have it so. We almost fought over it, for I would 
share the peril. But in the end he gained his point. I 
am to wait until all is over. Then I am to ride forth, 
my partisans will gather; ere night to-morrow, let us 
hope that the white banner, standard of my house, will 
wave over Ciudad de los Reyes! And now, Rosa, I 
must away. Kiss me, my queen, and pray for our 
success.” 

The parting embrace of the lovers was ardent and 
long ; the girl followed her chosen admirer’s disappear- 
ing form with eyes that glowed with passion. As she 
herself was about entering the house, however, she 
paused and looked back at the garden with a little smile 
upon her lips. 

“ He told — Diego,” she murmured. The English- 
man — he would not have done that I ” 


I08 THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 

CHAPTER XL 

THE WHITE BANNER SHALL NOT WAVE IN TRIUMPH 
TO-MORROW ! ” 

“ Senorita, your father has returned. He wishes to 
sec you at once. When I told him you were abed, he 
cursed me and bade me waken you. He has drunk much 
wine, and he made me afraid. He cried that he would 
see you instantly, and he has gone to your rooms to seek 
you ! ’’ 

As the Rose of Rimac entered the lower hall, her maid, 
Dolores, a native Peruvian girl, but rechristened after 
the fashion of the Spaniards, caught tremblingly at her 
sleeve, quavering out her tidings in a voice that was al- 
most a whimper. 

“ Pshaw ! what crotchet has he in his brain now, I 
wonder ? ” her mistress answered without alarm. 
“ There, there, Dolores, don’t cry ! You should be used 
to papa’s ways by this time. ’Tis not thy first sight of 
him after he has dined at the palace.” 

” Nay ; but, senorita, he has never before come home 
as he is this night. He tries to hold his head so high that 
he almost falls backward. He — he spoke of having me 
whipped — aye, whipped to death, he said,” Dolores 
sobbed brokenly. 

“ Nonsense, 77/ protect you. No, you need not come 
with me. I’ll face papa alone. I can do anything with 
him. Watch, though, and come to help me undress when 
he is gone. I can not do without you then,” Rosa 
laughed, and, speeding up the stairs to the second floor, 
ran quickly to her own boudoir. 

In that pretty nest, whose luxurious hangings and 
upholsterings of pink, green, and golden silk, as well as 
the hundred valuable and dainty adornments dear to the 
feminine heart, betokened how lavishly the ill-won 
wealth of the secretary was poured out to gratify the 
whims of his lovely daughter, as she had expected, Rosa 
found her father. Picado was standing beside the win- 
dow nearest to the door, grasping one of the rose-col- 
ored curtains with a clutch that threatened to tear it 
from its fastenings. His feet were planted wide apart 
and he was peering intently out into the night. In spite 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 109 

of his Sturdily situated lower limbs, the shoulders swayed 
from side to side, and there was about the body of the 
man who really held the second place in Peru a sugges- 
tion of approaching limpness. 

^ “ Ah, there you are then, father mine,’’ the Rose cried 

gayly, as she crossed the threshold and approached her 
progenitor. “ Catching cold at my window, incautious 
one, instead of going at once to bed like a good papa. 
Come, it is late and you need rest. Let me help you to 
your room.” 

The secretary swung round and brought up against 
the wall, uttering as he struck it a very audible grunt of 
discomfort. For a few seconds he remained thus, his 
feet, outstretched before him, aiding to sustain his back 
against the silken hangings, regarding his daughter with 
a lackluster and watery eye. A beam of intelligence 
illuminated his countenance at length ; he tried to smile, 
while muttering half to himself : 

“ It’s Rosa — my daughter — my little Rosa ! And she 
hasn’t gone to bed ! So late as it is ! She — she’s been 
out — out in garden ! See — seeing stars — and flowers — 
and birds ! I do believe she's drunk, too ! ” 

The Rose of Rimac uttered no indignant denial of the 
imputation conveyed in her parent’s last sentence. 

“ Everybody may be that way to-night, and on other 
things besides wine, perhaps, my father,” she smiled, 
merrily. “ To-morrow the world will be sober and ready 
for church, as usual. To effect that, though, we must 
have sleep. Let me take your arm, the hall is not so light 
as it should be. You want to go to bed, I am sure. You 
must be very tired, poor papa.” 

As she attempted to pass her arm beneath his, Picado 
made an ineffectual effort to prevent her. 

No, musn’t do that ; not dignified ; not befitting sta- 
tion ; too much honor for me ! I’m only humble serv — 
servant of y-your excellency! I’m not a noble! I’m 
only Pi-Picado, your excellency’s poor se-secretary ! ” 
he remonstrated, stuttering. 

“ But, papa, you’re not at the palace now ; the mar- 
quis isn’t here. It’s Rosa, only Rosa. Be good, and 
come with me — there’s a darling,” his daughter urged, 
still smiling. 

Wh-what you talking about, Rosa ? ” the secretary 


I lO 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 

responded, angrily. “ Course I know I’m not at palace. 
They're all there — Velasquez, Riquelme, De Chaves, 
Bishop — they’re all there. I’m here ; I’m home, and Tin 
not drunk. They’re drunk. I — I’m sober, sober as 
• judge. No; Velasquez is judge — and he’s drunk. 
Bu-but I’m all right. Must go back, though. Came to 
tell you. Marquis said, ‘ Wait a while, no hurry.’ But I 
couldn’t wait. Had to tell you. Had to tell somebody. 
Couldn’t keep it all to myself. So I’ll tell you, Rosa ; 
I’ll tell you ! ” 

“ Yes, tell me, papa dearest. But not until to-morrow, 
’twill be time enough then. Have a nice long sleep first, 
and then you can tell it all the better. You’re so tired 
now, you know,” the Rose of Rimac insinuated. 

“No; I’ll tell now. To-morrow’s S-Sunday. Time 
for church then. Can’t talk affairs of state on Sunday,” 
Picado obstinately persisted. “ B-big matter this, Rosa'! 
Make them all o-open their eyes ! Make them all wild ! 
T-too important to keep for to-morrow ! Affair of 
state, Rosa ! I’ll — I’ll tell it now ! ” 

The girl’s eyes glittered strangely as she heard the 
■ words, and her mouth lost its smile. 

“ Tell it now then, papa, since you wish it,” she said, 
eagerly. “ Won’t you come to a chair, though? It will 
be more comfortable.’'’ 

“ No; no chair. . Mustn’t — mustn’t sit in your excel- 
lency’s p-presence. T-too much honor. Only poor 
P-Picado,” her father stammered, waving his hand in 
expostulation. 

“ Oh, dear, he thinks he’s with the marquis again ! 
Bah, he can’t have anything to tell worth the hearing,” 
the Rose murmured to herself. “ Come, papa, we’ve 
had quite all of this that I care for. Be nice now, and 
go to bed. Come along with me, do you hear ? ” 

“ No ; I won’t come. Must go back — back to the 
palace. Marquis said I must. Got to go. Tell you first, 
though, Rosa. When you hear, you won’t want me to 
stay. Won’t want your father at all. Be too high for 
poor old father. No use for him then. Turn him away ; 
not r-recognize him. P-poor old P-Picado I ” and the 
secretary wept. 

“ Oh, I wish you would go to your room and leave 
me in peace,” his daughter sighed, impatiently, giving 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Ill 


her parent an unfilial shake. “ If you have anything to 
tell, why don*t you tell it ? and not stand there and cry ! ” 

“ That’s just what I said! ” declared Picado, sobbing 
harder. “ Said she’d do just that very thing. Too 
proud already. Don’t love her father at all. Speaks to 
him like that. All because she’s going to be married.” 

“ Married I ” Rosa cried, in astonishment. 

'' Yes, married,” her father reiterated with a fresh 
burst of tears. “ Married to greatest man in world ! 
Married to Marquis Francisco Pizarro! Told me to- 
night I Says he loves you, Rosa, and must have you ! 
Make you great woman ! Take you to Spain I Present 
you to emperor! Leave me here all alone! Boo-hoo- 
0 - 0 !” 

As this astounding news fell from Picado’s lips in 
halting sentences, the Rose of Rimac hung upon his 
words, and almost gasped when he had finished : 

“ Father mine, you are dreaming ! ” 

“ No ; not dreaming. Not drunk, either. Sober,” the 
secretary returned, positively. 

“ I marry the marquis ! ” the girl cried, as if she 
could scarce believe her ears. 

” No; he’ll marry you! Said he would! Said it to- 
night ! Told me ! Said I mustn’t tell ! He’s great man, 
Rosa,” Picado’s tears ceased to flow, and his voice as- 
sumed all the pride possible for one in his condition. 
“ Great ruler, great general ! Rich, too ! Can’t write 
his name, though ! I have to do that for him ! So I’m 
great, too ! I’m great because he’s great, see? But he’s 
marquis, and I’m only Picado! He’ll make you great 
lady ! First lady in Peru ! All the others have to give 
way to you then ! And he’ll take you to Spain ! Lot’s 
of beautiful girls there ! None half so beautiful as you ! 
Nobles, dukes, great knights ! They’ll all ask, ‘ Who 
is that? ’ And they’ll learn, ' She’s wife of the Marquis 
Pizarro, conqueror of Peru, and daughter of his secre- 
tary, Picado ! ’ Yes, daughter of poor Picado ! Wow ! ” 

The howl of triumph the tipsy Spaniard gave vent 
to perhaps found an echo in his daughter’s heart. Her 
eyes flamed and her head was unconsciously raised 
higher. 

“ A-h-h ! ” she sighed, wistfully, as visions of dazzling 
triumphs and successes, dear to the hearts of women 


1 1 2 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


who live but to gratify their vanity, conjured up by the 
wandering sentences of the inebriate beside her flashed 
through her brain. 

Sodden as were the perceptions of Picado, a vague 
hint of the thoughts in his daughter’s mind flickered in 
his understanding. He straightened up and lurched, 
t unhindered, to the door. 

“ That’s r-right, Rosa ! ” he chuckled, turning and 
swaying for a moment on the threshold. “ That’s what 
y-you’ll do! You’re beautiful woman! V-very lovely 
w-woman ! Rule ’em all ! P-put foot on all their necks ! 
M-men same all world over ! B-b-beauty fools ’em ! 
Fight for it, 1-live for it, die for it ! M-marquis big a fool 
as the rest ! I know that ! I-I’ve fooled him long time ! 
Now youll fool him ! Must go now ! Go back to pal- 
ace ! S-sleep there to-night ! Marquis said I must ! 
We — we’ll fool him together, Rosa ! We’ll fool him to- 
gether. Hola ! B-below there ! ” 

In answer to their master’s call, a couple of stout 
Peruvians, brawny and clad in scanty tunics, were 
quickly at his side. With six of their comrades they 
had borne the litter of the secretary from the palace, and 
by his order had awaited the signal for return. 

“ G-good night, Rosa ! D-dream of g-great things to 
come ! ” Picado called, as he staggered away between 
them. 

The Rose of Rimac made no attempt to stay her 
father’s departure. Wrapt in thought, she remained 
standing by the window, her hands slowly plaiting a, 
fold of her dress, her eyes fixed and dreamy. 

“ Wife to the marquis ! ” she murmured, thought- 
fully. “ Yes ; that were indeed to possess a future I can 
never hope for otherwise. To be first lady in Peru ! 
Tut ! lam that already ! No one of the others can stand 
beside me. But Spain ! He would take me there ! I 
could manage that. How I would love to see Spain 
and the imperial court ! I know that there I would enjoy 
myself beyond my wildest imaginings. Tourneys, fetes, 
the bravest cavaliers in Christendom striving with all 
their might for a smile from the most beautiful ! And 
could they find any more lovely than I? Let me see 
for myself ! ” 

She ran quickly to a polished mirror set in the wall. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. I 3 

and regarded her reflection therein with long and criti- 
cal scrutiny. 

“ No,” she declared, drawing back at length with a 
little laugh of triumph, “ no, I would not be afraid of 
suffering in comparison with you, maids of Castile and 
Arragon. The wife of the Marquis Francisco would 
have a list of admirers as long as any that compose your 
trains. Ah, how they would hate me, and look at me 
askance, those haughty dames who would have to own 
themselves eclipsed by my plebeian charms ! How they 
will say spiteful things and grow the more vindictive as 
. they find I laugh at their ill-will while taking their 
knights from them ! And ” 

She paused, bit her lip, and seemed to wake from her 
dream of conquest in the lists of love. 

” Fool that I am ! All this can never be ! ” she whis- 
pered, passionately. “ I forget Diego ! ” 

Wearily she dragged a chair to the window and sat 
moodily staring into the darkness. 

“ Yes, I forget Diego,” her thoughts ran swiftly on. 
“ I forgot him, and I love him. No other man can I 
ever love as I do Almagro. He is the chosen of my heart, 
and he would do anything for me. To-night he trusted 
me with more than life — with his honor. And he would 
grant me anything in his power. Yet — yet he can not 
give me what the marquis can give. Ah, he little knows 
what sacrifices my love for him demands.” 

She clenched her little hands, and her foot tapped im- 
patiently upon the carpet. 

” The marquis is old,” her active brain suggested. 
“ He can not live for many years. His wealth is great, 
and when he dies it will be mine. Should I marry him 
I could love Diego just the same. My voice should 
plead his cause with Pizarro ; the means for conquering 
his inheritance would no longer be withheld. He would 
understand when I told him that I did it all Jor his 
sake. He would wait, and when the marquis died, as 
indeed he must soon die, I would recompense him a 
thousandfold for his waiting. Together we should en joy 
the great fortune of the Conquistador; our days would 
be one long dream of happiness. Why, the thing is clear 
as can be ! Diego will understand when I tell him. I 
know I can persuade him to see as I do. Yes, yes, it is 


1 14 the girdle of the god. 

all plain as day ! I will marry Pizarro ! Wife shall I be 
to the marquis, but I shall love Diego just the same. 
I will send for him and explain all to him to-morrow.” 

As the last word came to her mind, she caught her 
breath with a sudden shuddering gasp, sprang from her 
seat, and began to nervously pace the apartment. 

“ To-morrow! ” she muttered. '‘Dios de mi alma! 
and to-morrow they have sworn that Pizarro shall die ! 
I can not see Diego until night, and then it will be too 
late. Quickly, indeed, falls the house of cards that I 
was building.” 

Back and forth she continued to stride, her little rosy 
nails dug viciously into the tender palms of the small 
white hands. The maid Dolores had glided into the 
room and stood surveying her mistress with frightened 
eyes. 

At length the Rose of Rimac stopped in her walk, 
resolve and determination giving a strange expression 
to her innocent, child-like features. 

“ They shall not ! ” she muttered between her teeth. 
“ They shall not rob me of a life like that would be ! 
If Pizarro dies to-morrow, adieu to all my dreams of 
Spain and the court of the emperor ! How can I avert 
his doom? Let me think, let me contrive some plan! 
I dare not go to warn hirh myself. And if my father 
bear the story to his ears, it will be known whence the 
admonition came. Besides, if the conspiracy be dis- 
covered, Diego will have to fly. That I would not bring 
about. No, the plot must miscarry. Yet, how can I 
effect that? Ah, I have it. I think I see the means. 
Dolores, Huayna returned yesterday, is it not so? ” 

“ He returned, yes, sefiorita,” the maid assented, in 
a puzzled voice. 

“ Go and wake him then. Bring him hither imme- 
diately,” her mistress commanded. 

“ Here, sehorita ? ” Dolores cried, amazed. 

“ Yes, here. Go at once, fool, and do as I bid you. 
What are you staring at ? Ah, perhaps this will quicken 
your comprehension,” the Rose of Rimac cried, stamp- 
ing her foot and drawing a long golden pin from amid 
the coils of her hair. 

The frightened Dolores evidently well knew the threat 
conveyed by this action, for she turned at once and sped 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. II5 

swiftly from the room. Her mistress, uttering a low 
ripple of laughter, returned to her seat by the window 
and remained idly twirling her glittering implement of 
j torture in her slender fingers. 

Scarce ten minutes elapsed when Dolores re-entered 
the room, followed by the stalwart servant of the daugh- 
ter of Picado, whose thews and sinews had so excited 
the commendations of Grafton Howard before the palace 
of Pizarro, the Peruvian Huayna. 

I Bidding her maid to retire within her sleeping-cham- 
1 ber, which adjoined the boudoir, Rosa motioned the 
; Indian to a position before her and regarded him in- 
I tently for some moments. 

; The native was a magnificent speciment of his race. 
To the grandeur of a frame splendid in its statuesque 
strength of contour was joined a head cast in the most 
beautiful proportions of the Inca caste. Handsome, 
indeed, the features, despite the swarthy skin that cov- 
ered them ; the brow placid and thoughtful ; the nose 
perfectly chiseled ; the lips calm and determined above 
the strong chin ; the eyes cold, impassive, and carrying a 
! certain scornful fire in their dark depths. The great 
orifices in his ears, where heavy golden ornaments had 
once been wont to hang, distending the cartilages until 
they nearly touched his shoulders, denoted that this 
simple servitor was sprung from the very noblest ranks 
of his own people. Nor was this at all unusual, for since 
the conquest hundreds of the haughtiest lords of the 
Incas had been brought to beg their bread in the land 
they once had ruled. 

With arms folded upon his broad chest, the Peruvian 
waited silently for his mistress to speak. 

You have been away from us for long, Huayana,” 
she began, presently. “ I had almost feared that we 
were never to see you again ; that you had grown tired 
of our service.” 

“ The Senorita Rosa remembers that when I first took 
her wages I made condition that at will I might be al- 
lowed to visit my relatives among mine own people,” 
Huayna answered, in excellent Spanish. “ I have been 
to see my friends, and they kept me longer than I had 
thought for. The service of the senorita I had no in- 
tention of leaving.” 


Il6 THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 

“ I am very glad to hear it. But you should not stay 
away so long,” the Rose pouted, petulantly. “ Often in 
the past few weeks I have felt the need of you before my 
litter, and I have almost made up my mind not to allow 
you to leave me again.” 

The Peruvian smiled coldly. 

” I am no slave,” he said in sonorous, faintly haughty 
tones. ” The labor I do is paid with the gold of your 
father. If the sehorita wishes I can cease to accept it.” 

“ No, no,” the Rose protested, sweetly. ‘‘ I did not 
wish you to think that I hinted at your dismissal, 
Huayna. I only wanted you to know how much I have 
missed you. Indeed, I could not give you up for any- 
thing. You are the handsomest Indian in Ciudad Reyes 
— in all Peru, I think. No other lady has such a courier 
to clear the way for her. Ah, you are much better to 
look at than the sehors that surround the governor- 
general.” 

Huayna’s face betrayed no elation at the compliment. 

“ You did not call me hither to tell me that, sehorita. 
It is for some other reason that you bade Dolores rouse 
me from my slumbers,” he asserted, calmly. 

“ Why, yes, of course I have something for you to do, 
Huayna,” Rose answered, hesitatingly, ‘‘ something that 
I feared I might forget if I did not speak of it to-night, 
and so I told Dolores to bring you here.” 

‘‘ I am ready and waiting, sehorita,” the Indian re- 
plied, stoically. 

” You would do a great deal for me, wouldn’t you, 
Huayna? ” 

The eyes of the girl were fixed in fascinating power 
of persuasion upon those of the Peruvian. 

” You have always shown yourself eager to obey my 
orders, and you would make unusual efforts if you 
thought it would please me, is it not so ? ” 

A flame, hot and fierce as the darkling glitter of a 
lost soul, glowed in the great black orbs of Huayna. His 
breast heaved as if restraining pent-up emotions, and 
his voice was low and steady as he responded : 

” The sehorita has but to state her wishes. If I can 
accomplish them, it is well. If not, I can but die in the 
trying.” 

” Nay; you run no risk of dying, Huayna,” the Rose 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. II7 

of Rimac said, quickly. “ It is a very simple little thing 
that I would have you do. To one of your strength,” 
and her glance flew with appreciation over the grand 
development of muscle displayed by the scanty garb of 
her auditor, “ ’twill be but child's play to effect. Yes, 
indeed, there will be no danger for you.” 

“ Danger ! ” the lips of the Indian curled in disdain. 
“ I count that little when the wishes of my beauteous 
mistress are in question. Say on, sehorita, what would 
you have me do ? ” 

‘‘ Oh, it is a little thing, a very little thing. Merely a 
wager I made to-day with Viola Orteaga. A mere noth- 
ing, yet I would not have her win from me,” the Rose 
of Rimac said with a laugh of pretended carelessness. 

“ She shall not win. Tell me my part, senorita, be 
sure that it shall be done,” replied the determined voice 
of Huayna. 

“ Well, it is this, then,” in smiling accents pursued 
the daughter of Picado. “ A silly little matter truly, 
a mere jest sprung from the brains of idle girls who have 
nothing better to think of. You know the cobbler Huer- 
fano, Huayna ? ” 

“ He whose house stands near that of the young Senor 
Almagro, on the other side of the street ? ” the Peruvian 
demanded, regarding his lovely mistress with a curious 
and watchful gaze that she did not notice. 

“ Ay, that very same queer little man,” she made re- 
ply. “ You know him, then? ” 

“ Of a certainty, sehorita, and what then ? ” returned 
the Indian. 

“ We have noticed that on every Sunday he has the 
habit of sitting upon the bench before his door for an 
hour before and an hour after noonday, though he does 
no work, but precisely as he is wont to sit on other days. 
Viola Orteaga declared to me that he would never miss 
a day there until he died, be the weather or the happen- 
ings in the city ever so inclement or portentous. I said 
that was not so, and wagered that he would miss to- 
morrow. Can you manage for me, Huayna, that the 
cobbler shall be kept elsewhere during the time I have 
mentioned ? ” 

Try as she might, Rosa Picado could not smother 
the eagerness that forced itself into her voice. 


ir8 THE GIRDLE OF THE GOB. 

For an hour before and an hour after noonday to- 
morrow the bench of Huerfano shall not hold its owner, 
sehorita.” 

The cold tones of the Peruvian sounded direful and 
implacable as the knell of fate. 

“ And he must not be in front of the house, nor in the 
' street ; you understand that, too ? I shall lose if he appear 
' at all,” the Rose of Rimac continued, earnestly. 

“ Huerfano shall not be seen for the two hours you 
mention,” her courier declared, with a grim smile. 

“ Then I have won my wager,” she cried, triumphant- 
ly. “ You must go now, Huayna. Remember, I trust 
you to keep your promise.” 

The Indian fell upon his knees before her, seized the 
small foot in its delicate pink satin slipper and pressed 
it with passion to his lips. Rising as abruptly ?-S he 
knelt, he stalked with peculiarly silent tread from the 
room. 

Rosa Picado looked after him with complacent eyes. 

” I believe he loves me, too, poor Huayna,” she mur- 
mured, contentedly. “ He is handsome, too handsome 
for an Indian. Yes, he must love me; they all do, it 
seems. But I love only Diego. I wed the marquis, true. 
Yet only for the sake of the man I love. He will be 
disappointed at what I have done. The white banner 
shall not wave in triumph to-morrow! ” 


CHAPTER XH. 

THE COBBLER AND THE PERUVIAN. 

At about thirty minutes past ten o’clock on the morn- 
ing of Sunday, June the twenty-sixth, the cobbler, 
Huerfano, was leaning idly against one of the door- 
posts of his unpretentious dwelling, viewing the world 
through his half-closed eyelids with a well-simulated air 
of unconcern, that nevertheless concealed the keenest 
perception of what was going on in the street. His 
neighbors, as they passed on their way to mass at the 
cathedral, exchanged cheery ” good days,” and half iron- 
ically urged him to join them in their pious errand ; but 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. II9 

to all such invitations the little man replied only by a 
smile and a negative shake of the head. 

“ It is a beautiful day,” he murmured to himself, as 
the passers-by gradually became few and far between. 
“ Too beautiful to waste a breath of such glorious air in 
a dim, damp-smelling sanctuary. Out in the open, where 
the sun shines and the blue of heaven can be seen, there 
is the place to worship the good God. One can not help 
but feel Him in the contemplation of His works on 
such a day as this. A grand day, of a truth! And a 
day that will be long remembered, I warrant ; that will 
be spoken of when the bones of our children’s children 
shall have crumbled into dust. Yonder old sun, wor- 
shipped by the untaught heathen, how steadily he shines 
away, with no suspicion of the turmoil and confusion 
he soon must witness. Tut ! .as if he cared 1 He has 
seen too many startling things to ever be surprised. In 
this very land of Peru he has ere to-day seen the heads 
of the haughty brought to lie in the dust. Diablo I how 
quiet the street is I and but an hour or so from now and 
the whole town will be in an uproar ! Here comes the 
handsome heathen servant of the secretary’s daughter. 
Little he thinks how soon he’ll be hunting a new master. 
Buenas dias, Huayna,” as the Peruvian came up and 
saluted him respectfully. 

"" Buenas dias, Master Huerfano,” the deep tones of 
the bronzed athlete made answer. “ I am fortunate to 
find you here and alone, for I have come all the way from 
my master’s house to have a word with you.” 

“ And how comes it that you are not in attendance 
upon the litter of your mistress? Has the fair Rose of 
Rimac become of my mind, and ceased going to mass? ” 
the cobbler grinned, amicably. 

Nay, the Senorita Rosa is unwell this morning. I, 
therefore, have some hours to myself, and I would im- 
prove them well,” Huayna replied, with imperturbable 
gravity. “ A matter of the utmost import I have to re- 
veal to you. Master Huerfano, and by your leave we will 
step inside your dwelling.” 

“ By my leave we will do no such thing,” the little 
Spaniard retorted, coolly. “ The sunlight suits me well, 
and the doorstep is a good enough place to hear any- 
thing you may have to say to me,” he added, with the ar- 
rogance of the dominant race. 


120 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


The countenance of the Indian remained unmoved 
by the sneer. 

“ The open air and a public street are good to ex- 
change idle conversation in, Master Huerfano,” he said, 
in humble tones, “ but they are not fitting places for the 
divulging of a great secret that can give to its possessor 
wealth surpassing that of the marquis himself. Such 
an affair I had come hither to impart to you. Still, if 
you are too rich to care about hearing me, I can go away, 
Master Huerfano,” turning as if to depart. 

Avarice flashed of a sudden in the cobbler’s eyes. 

“ Secret ! wealth ! to be told to me alone ! ” he ejac- 
ulated, plucking at the skirt of Huayna’s tunic. “ You 
say you have such news for me, Huayna? ” 

“ Ay, but you seem not to desire it. How great must 
be your riches. Master Huerfano. What other Spaniard 
could refuse to know with certainty where lies — ” he 
stepped closer to the old man and whispered the con- 
cluding words of his sentence in his ear. 

“Virgin dolorosa!’' Huerfano exclaimed, in half- 
doubt, half-wonder. “ You can not mean that, Huayna ! 
You can not wish to have me believe that you are able 
to tell me the path to the wondrous gir — ” 

“ Hush, Master Huerfano, not so loud,” the Indian 
broke in upon him, quickly. “ No one is in sight, ’tis 
true, but voices carry far, and who knows what may be 
heard across the street.” 

His air of secrecy had its effect upon the cobbler. 
Glancing apprehensively over his shoulder, he muttered : 

“ True, Huayna, stones have ears sometimes, they say, 
and tongues to cry out to heaven. Come within, come 
within, and — Santiago! no, I was forgetting! I must 
stay here. Tell me what you have to say in a whisper, 
I will not lose a word.” 

“ Nay, that I will not do. Master Huerfano,” with a 
curt laugh. “ A strange sight for a curious eye behind 
yonder lattices should we be, and an excellent topic for 
wondering gossip. What I would tell must be said 
within doors.” 

“ And within doors I can not go just at present I 
Sacramento ! how aggravating! Listen to me, Huayna, 
come back this evening, I shall be free to hear you then 
all night.” 


THE GIRDLE GE THE GOD. I 21 

‘ I have no wish to talk all ni^ht,” the Peruvian said, 
in offended tones. * \lu go i.ut believe my tale worth 
listening to ; you are tritiing with me. Master Huerfano. 
I will go away, perhaps to seek a man more willing to 
be rich. Adios, thou who for want of the patience to 
grant me five minutes alone in thy house with thee wilt 
throw away the most stupendous prize ever offered to 
one of thy nation.” 

The cobbler uttered a cry of protest that was almost a 
scream. 

“Nay, wait, Huayna ! Be not so impatient! Five 
minutes, you said only five minutes. I can give you that 
time, even a little more. Come m,” grasping the arm of 
the Indian with trembling fingers and dragging him 
inside the door. ” Now I have done as you wished, 
hasten to say what you have come to impart. Begin, 
and make thy tale short as thou canst ; I must be back 
at my post — I mean, I would return to the sunshine as 
soon as I may.” 

” For one who is in no hurry to be rich, your room 
seems badly enough furnished, Master Huerfano,” the 
Peruvian remarked, leisurely, glancing with scarce-con- 
cealed contempt at the bare walls, the rude table, and 
rough wooden stools that completed the appointments 
of the Spaniard’s sanctum. “ Hard as your chairs look, 
’twould be but courtesy to offer a guest a seat.” 

With a muttered oath at such impertinence from one 
whom he regarded rs far inferior to himself, the Span- 
iard impatiently pushed toward the native a three-legged 
stool. Huayna accented it without remark, and calmly 
sat down hctiaccn Huerfano and the door. 

” ’Twould be a good idea to have backs put to your 
chairs. Master Huerfano.” he said, in accents of friendly 
advice. “ They have much s ifter resting-places for the 
body at the house of my master, the secretary.” 

” Curse your master, the secretary I ” the cobbler 
snarled, irritably. ” W'e are losing time. To your tale, 
Huayna, I can give you but five minutes.” 

“ Ah, that is true,” the other slowly remarked. “ I 
will begin then, and you must listen very carefully, 
Master Huerfano, very carefully indeed. For if you 
lose one word of what I am going to say, that may per- 
haps make the whole useless to you.” 


122 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


He paused and leaned forward, regarding the Span- 
iard with eyes that seemed to see other things than the 
little man before him, who stood with gaze alternately 
flashing from Huayna to the door and back again. As 
the Indian did not at once proceed, Huerfano cried, im- 
patiently : 

‘'Diablo! go on then! I will not miss a syllable. 
Can’t you see that you waste the precious seconds 1 ” 

“ Patience, Master Huerfano, and now look to it that 
you be all attention. Many, many years ago, hundreds 
of years, more years than man can remember, the land 
of this continent, the land where but lately the proud 
empire of the Incas, lords of my people and my race, 
reared itself in unmatched strength and splendor — this 
land, I say, was but a wilderness, amid whose tangled 
forests, in the recesses of its forbidding mountain cav- 
erns, dwelt races of men more savage than the wild 
beasts about them. They worshiped without discrimi- 
nation the things wonderful to their sight in nature, 
they fought among each other, they feasted greedily 
upon the slain bodies of their enemies. Ah, they were 
a people to be pitied ; blind, helpless, barbaric in their 
hopeless savagery ! ” 

“ But, hijo del demonio! What has this got to do 
with the girdle of the Sun God? ” wrathfully interposed 
the cobbler. 

Huayna waved his hand soothingly. 

“ Patience, Master Huerfano, do not interrupt. Yes, 
miserable indeed was the condition of those who then 
dwelt in these regions, where now the Spaniard rears his 
victorious banner of the cross. He whose name you 
mentioned but now, the Sun, the great, life-bestowing 
master of the universe, beheld their lot, and when he saw 
them he was sad of heart. He said, ‘ This shall be so no 
longer ’ ; he looked about him, and from his own chil- 
dren he selected two, Manco Capac and Mama Oello 
Huaco, brother and sister, husband and wife. To them 
he showed the direful existence of the unfortunate na- 
tions of this land, and gave them the charge to better 
the minds and lives of his wretched people. Ere he sent 
them forth, he endowed them with a golden wedge ” 

“ O muerte con diablo! ” Huerfano burst forth again. 
“ The minutes speed, I tell you ! Will you never get to 
the secret ? ” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


123 


“ Patience, Master Huerfano. A golden wedge, I 
said, he gave to them, and more. About the waist of 
Manco Capac he placed a girdle — ah, that interests you, 
it would seem,” with an imperceptible smile as the Span- 
iard leaned toward him, eagerly muttering : 

“ Yes, yes ; go on, Huayna, go on ! ” 

“ A girdle placed he around the waist of Manco 
Capac,” repeated the Peruvian. ” A girdle of such stu- 
pendous richness that I, who have seen it, dare not at- 
tempt description.” 

” You have seen it ! ” the little man gasped, excitedly. 

“ Patience, Master Huerfano. Yes, 1 have seen it, 
even I. But to my tale. The golden wedge the husband 
was ever to bear in his hand as they journeyed after 
their great master and father had placed them on the 
earth. At the spot where the wedge left Manco Capac’s 
hand, they were to halt their wanderings and take up 
their abode. Himself, the Sun, brought his children to 
this land. They bade him farewell until such time as he 
should call them to himself, and turned their faces to 
the northward. They journeyed north ” 

“ Hell and furies! What care I how they journeyed) 
To the secret of the treasure; to the secret, Huayna! ” 
Huerfano yelled, angrily, making an undecided step in 
the direction of the door. 

“ Patience, Master Huerfano. They bore with them 
the girdle ” — the Spaniard became on the second atten- 
tion itself — “ and the golden wedge. They went north, 
ever north. They came at length to a broad and beau- 
tiful plateau traversed by a shining river, defended to 
the north by a great spur of the mountains. Here the 
wedge sank into the ground, and here they knew they 
must remain. Manco Capac called the people about 
him ” 

“ O Satanas! I can remain no longer,” the little cob- 
bler cried, despairingly, again starting for the door. 

And showed them the girdle,” Huayna said, quickly, 
and Huerfano stopped like a statue in his tracks. 
” Patience, Master Huerfano. Manco Capac, master 
of such a wondrous belt, gained the respect and obe- 
dience of the poor savages ” 

“ Vaya! had I been one he’d have gained the loss of 
his girdle,” interjected the Spaniard, sourly. 


124 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ Patience, Master Huerfano. He taught them how 
to live ; how to build houses to protect themselves from 
the weather. He taught them how to cultivate the fields, 
how to cover , the naked land with wealth of golden 
grain.” 

'' O Cristo ! ” from the cobbler, who was now dancing 
up and down as if on red-hot plates. 

“They worshiped the girdle of the Sun God ” — 
Huerfano became quieter — “ and they were happy. The 
town of Cuzco rose and continued to rise ” — fresh symp- 
toms of disquiet on the part of the little man — “ and 
there the belt was enshrined ” — absolute quiet from the 
cobbler — “ while all about the peoples gradually came 
under their dominion ” — the Spaniard ground his teeth 
and cursed — “ and reverenced with them the sacred gift 
of the all-powerful luminary ” — again rapt attention 
from the shoemaker. 

“ Mama Oello for her part taught the women to spin ; 
from her they learned the household arts,” Huayna pro- 
ceeded, placidly, a grim flicker of amusement in his eyes 
as Huerfano began to wave his arms. 

“ The heavenly pair, founders of the Inca empire, 
lived long, but at last their father recalled them to their 
places in the mansions of the Sun.” 

“ I am glad of that. For Dios! I feared they’d live 
forever ! ” viciously snarled the Spaniard. 

“ Patience, Master Huerfano. After them, their cHTl- 
dren carried on the work of teaching the people ” — 
Huerfano was again moving toward the door — “ and to 
their guardianship fell the sacred belt ” — still and mo- 
tionless now the auditor — “ while, by war and conquest, 
they brought the tribes beneath their scepter. So it has 
gone on, until from Quito in the north to Chile in the 
south the empire of the Incas flourished, ever growing, 
ever ” 

The patience of the little cobbler was exhausted. 

Consigning in one terrible imprecation Huayna, the 
Peruvians, the Incas, and the girdle of the God to ever- 
lasting torments, he sprang for the door. 

The Indian, quick as a tiger, seized him by the shoul- 
ders in a powerful grasp. 

“ Wait, have patience. Master Huerfano ; you must 
hear me out. ’Twill not be long now,” he said calmly. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


125 


Santa Maria! I have heard you too long as it is,” 
the cobbler shouted, in fury. “ Let me go ; I must be 
without the door this minute. Unhand me, do you 
hear ? ” 

Then, then as the fingers of Huayna tightened their 
grip instead of relaxing, the Spaniard seemed in a sec- 
ond to understand. 

“ Dog! ” he hissed, in a transport of vindictive pas- 
sion. “ You have been playing with me. Par Dios! 
I have been fooled! Very well, I never let a debt go 
unrequited. Take your pay, heathen hound ! ” 

The blade of a little dagger flashed back in the air, 
quivered about to fall, and remained stationary for half a 
dozen seconds as the wrist of the shoemaker stopped 
motionless in its purposed descent. The ready fingers 
of the Peruvian had arrested the hostile arm and held it 
powerless. A moan of anguish parted the Spaniard’s 
lips, while the bones of his forearm were crushed and 
broken into the flesh under the mighty squeeze of Huay- 
na’s powerful hand. The dagger tinkled hopelessly 
down upon the floor. 

“To my aid! Help! Mur ” Huerfano 

screamed. 

The last word was only half uttered. 

The remorseless hand was at his throat. Rolling his 
eyes, he gasped for breath ; he made a desperate fight for 
air, for life. The effort was unavailing. 

With face unmoved and cruel, a savage smile parting 
the lips as he marked the old man’s agony, Huayna 
deliberate exerted his strength until he felt the cobbler 
grow limp. Then he raised the body suddenly and 
hurled it violently across the room against the wall. It 
rebounded and sank down in a heap upon the floor, the 
head between the knees, a helpless, sprawling heap of 
clothes. 

The Peruvian laughed bitterly. 

“ No great deed to boast of to my children,” he said, 
half aloud. “Still, another cursed Spaniard has gone 
to the ever-dark dominions of Cupay ! ” 

He approached the body and made sure that the man 
had really ceased to live. Then, with assured tread and 
calm demeanor, he left the room to its late owner. 

“ The senorita has won her wager,” he muttered, with 


126 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


a sarcastic smile, as he stepped forth into the sunshine. 

Meanwhile the chiefs ot the Almagro faction had 
gathered as appointed at the dwelling of their leader. 
Silently and grimly they had entered tne great room 
on the ground floor one by one, exchanging curt greet- 
ings and seeming little disposed for conversation. All 
had thrown aside their cloaks, and stood completely 
accoutered as for battle. Indeed, no child's play, as they 
had figured, lay before them. The friends of Pizarro 
were brave and numerous ; much blood would have to 
flow ere the marquis could be brought down. 

Grafton Howard was there, as was likewise Roaring 
Richard Rugglcs. The ex-master-mariner of the “ Freak 
of Fortune ” wore no cuirass or bodily armor of any 
kind ; but he held lovingly in his fist the great boarding- 
ax that seemed his favorite weapon. With it he might 
prove a terrible antagonist. His master was fully armed. 

Juan de Rada, coming close to the Englishman, whis- 
pered earnestly : 

“ Sehor Howard, I know your skill of fence. When 
we are at work, do you single out De Chaves or Don 
Martinez de Alcantara. They are the ones we have 
most to dread. You should be able to answer for one.” 

” Or both, if fortune favors,” Howard smiled, coolly. 
“ All has so far gone well, I hope, Sefior de Rada? ” 

” Aye, we are all here ; we, the leaders. Each has 
mustered his men and they are ready to appear so soon 
as the deed is done. Geronimo de Alvarado is watching 
as usual for Huerfano, who, it seems, is not at his post. 
Never mind, the little man will not fail us. I know 
him of old.” 

” Our men are all stanch ; there are no faint hearts 
among them ? ” Howard carelessly queried. 

” None save Gomez Perez. I have my doubts in his 
case. Yet he has seen fighting, and I may wrong him.” 

” You have forgotten one thing, Senor Howard,” 
the Spaniard continued, after a pause of some moments. 

” I can not think what that can be, De Rada,” Grafton 
said, with some surprise. 

” You have forgotten to ask what means of flight 
are provided in case we fail,” and Juan de Rada’s keen 
glance seemed as if it would pierce the secrets of the 
Englishman’s soul. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


127 


“ Yes, I had forgotten that ” ; the adventurer shrugged 
his shoulders. ' You need not include me in any such 
preparations, my dear Sehor de Rada.” 

“ And why? ’ Juan demanded, bluntly. 

“If it come to that. I'll not be capable of escape. 
Either we win or Roaring Dick and I stay on the field 
forever — eh, Richard? ” 

“ Right you be, Cap’n Grafton,” stoically answered 
the composed Ruggles. 

“ Dios! a good resolve! and I’ll be with you. win or 
lose,” De Rada smiled grimly, moving away te sound 
the feelings of the remaining conspirators. 

Slowly the minutes dragged by as they waited for the 
signal. The time came when all felt that the mass at the 
cathedral must be finished ; that the governor-general 
must be crossing the Plaza on his way to the palace. 
And yet no warning from Huerfano ! 

Juan de Rada, ardent and fiery beyond all, despite the 
years that weighed upon his shoulders, was growing im- 
patient under the strain of suspense. At length he could 
bear it no longer. 

“ Go, you,.De Narvaez, to the house of Huerfano,’^ 
he said, suddenly. “ Find him and bring him hither, 
’Twill not take long ; he dwells but a few steps away.” 

De Narvaez grumbled somewhat over the abrupt tone 
of the order, but nevertheless obeyed. 

Perhaps ten minutes elapsed, and then to the ex- 
pectant Almagrians appeared their envoy, white of face 
and furious of eye. 

“ We are betrayed ! ” he sb juted, as he rushed into the 
apartment. “ Huerfano lies dead upon the floor of his 
own house! The marquis never left the palace at all 
this morning! I learned that from some citizens who 
had been to mass. Our plans must have been known, 
and pains taken to frustrate them ! ’Tis all owing to 
your mismanagement, old bungler that you are ! ” shak- 
ing his clinched fist menacingly at Juan de Rada. 

Sangre de Cristo ! have a care, rash and imprudent 
fool ! ” the latter answered, laying his ready hand upon 
his sword hilt. “ Be well assured of what you say.” 

“ Assured ! thousand devils ! Have I not seen the 
corpse of Huerfano, strangled to death, with mine own 
eyes! Is not my news that the cunning Pizarro kept to 


128 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


his house and went not to mass ! Have you not had the 
direction of everything! With you, I say, lies the 
fault ! ” 

Their swords were half out of the scabbards, but ere 
' they could draw and engage they were forcibly parted 
by the cooler heads among the cavaliers. 

“ Fie, Caballeros, leave such bickerings for another 
time ! ” the melancholy Cristoval de Sotelo cried. “ Let 
us think now what we are to do. From what De Nar- 
vaez says ’tis plain that we are suspected, if not dis- 
covered.” 

• “For Dios! a good enough joke on the side of the 
marquis,” laughed the gay and reckless Garcia de Alva- 
rado. “ How he’d enjoy seeing us wait here for him 
while he has no intention of appearing.” 

” But what are we to do? that’s the matter we must 
decide at once,’' asserted Pedro de Candia, the veteran 
of the conquest. ” I bow to the decision of wiser heads 
than mine ; I will obey the voice of the majority.” 

For the moment silence followed this speech. The 
conspirators, hesitating, looked anxiously each at his 
neighbor. Their faces showed drawn and white, but 
not through craven fear. Rage and disappointment 
gnawed their hearts ; to abandon their undertaking was 
to them as the bitterness of death. 

Only Gomez Perez betrayed lack of resolution. 

“ If we disperse and go quietly home,” he began, “ our 
purpose may not be suspected ; and even if it is, the mar- 
quis may not be disposed to punish ” 

The voice of Grafton Howard interrupted. 

'' Caballeros,’' he cried, ” heed not such vain counsels. 
’Tis plain that we have been betrayed. Since that is so, 
let us die sword in hand. To the palace ! Pizarro may 
yet be ours in spite of all ! ” 

He drew his sword and sprang toward the door. De 
Rada and Roaring Richard, with Geronimo de Alva- 
rado, were close at his heels ; behind them followed the 
rest of the cavaliers with brandished weapons. In a con- 
fused crowd they issued into the open air. Then, upon 
the quiet breeze of that beautiful Sunday noontide, 
echoed along the street that slept so peacefully in the 
sunshine the ominous cry : 

A mnerte Pizarro ! Death to the marquis, death ! ” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


129 


CHAPTER XIIL 

TRIUMPH ! 

The judge, Velasquez, sitting at ease in the great 
saloon of the governor-general’s palace, paused suddenly 
in the middle of a witty anecdote that he was relating 
for the delectation of those who had overnight enjoyed 
the hospitality of Pizarro, and held up his hand. 

“ Listen, Caballeros! ’’ he said, in a voice far different 
from the easy tone of the practiced raconteur. “ Those 
cries ! what mean they ? ” 

“ Tut ! a quarrel of the grooms in the inner court. Go 
on with your tale, Velasquez/’ the marquis himself made 
answer. 

“ Nay, there it is again. It sounds like some one 
being killed ! I will go and see.” 

And Velasquez, perturbation in eye and gesture, rose 
from his chair. 

“ Ha, ha ! the wine is not out of your head yet. Sit 
down and finish your story,” the conqueror of Peru 
smiled, jovially. 

But for once his request was unheeded by his usually 
pliant courtier. 

With hurried step the royal judge left the saloon, 
crossed the antechamber beyond, ran down a broad flight 
of stairs, and halted upon a landing overlooking the inner 
court of the vice-regal dwelling. He was accompanied 
by far the greater part of the cavaliers, who but the 
moment before had been lounging idly in the drawing- 
room of the marquis. Picado, Riquelme, the bishop, all, 
in fact, save De Chaves and Don Martinez de Alcantara, 
with a few pages and attendants, had hastened after 
Velasquez, moved by the same disquieting apprehension 
as himself. 

As they reached the landing, a man, whom they recog- 
nized by face and garb as one of the servants of the 
palace, came leaping up the stairs below them at head- 
long speed. The moment he caught sip^ht of their scared 
countenances and shrinking figures, he cried, in piercing 
accents of warning: 

“ Alarm ! alarm ! make good the landing, senors, 
while I go on to warn the marquis ! The Men of Chile ! 
they seek to murder him ! ” 


130 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


He bounded through their midst, hurling the bishop, 
who stood in his path, violently aside, and rushed on up 
the stairs toward the door of the antechamber. 

His startling words had not been needed to alarm the 
boon-companions of the governor-general. A look at 
the courtyard was sufficient. 

Across the smooth flags, shining white in the sun, that 
paved the quadrangle, swarmed the Almagrians, De 
Rada, Howard, and Roaring Richard Ruggles a few 
steps in the lead. The great ax of the seaman waved 
high above his head, already dripped with blood. A 
body clad in the gaudy livery of Pizarro, cleft from 
neck to waist, lay writhing beside the entrance to the 
courtyard. 

The judge and his companions, their nerves sadly 
shaken by the revelry of the night before, endured the 
sight but an instant. With shrill yells of fright they 
scattered, and, dashing away down the side corridors, 
sought safety in escape through the palace gardens. 

Though they fled, Pizarro was not unwarned. The 
faithful servant had reached his master's presence. 

“ Away, excellency, fly, for the love of the Saviour ! 
The Men of Chile are at my heels ! A devil with a great 
hatchet leads them ! He slew Martin Delgado at a blow, 
and I barely evaded him ! Run, I say, they will be here 
in a second ! ” 

The Conqueror of Peru was on his feet, but flight 
was never farther from his mind. Fear formed no part 
of Francisco Pizarro. 

“ Secure the door of the antechamber, De Chaves,’^ 
he commanded, swiftly but quietly. Come, brother 
Martinez, aid me with my cuirass. Once armed, we can 
hold this room at least until help is sent to us.’^ 

While the marquis and Don Martinez tore armor 
from the walls, Francisco de Chaves stumbled with all 
good-will across the antechamber. 

The favorite of the governor was not yet recovered 
from his late debauch. Several hearty draughts of wine 
taken during the morning had done little to clear his 
sodden intellect. He reached the door he was to make 
fast as the leading conspirators leaped the last of the 
steps before it. Half to he swung the portal, then paused 
and thrust his neck beyond it to parley. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


13I 

“ Why, what’s this, ye beggarly scum,” he shouted 
stupidly. “ How dare ye make such disturbance in the 
presence of your betters! Away with ye, and — Dios!'' 

The rapier of Juan de Rada whipped that instant 
through his throat and Francisco de Chaves sank down 
upon his knees. The door was hurled violently ajar, a 
dozen swords pierced the body of the unfortunate, who 
was then seized by the assailants, passed back among 
■ them, and thrown down the stairs to gasp his last breath 
out upon the flagged pavement below. 

Into the antechamber surged the conspirators, hoarse- 
ly shouting : 

“ Where is Pizzaro ? Death to the tyrant ! ” 

The pages of De Chaves, who had followed their mas- 
ter, were cut to pieces in a twinkling, on the Almagrians 
leaped to the door of the saloon. 

Amid the tumult of cries the voice of Grafton How- 
ard sounded strong and clear, “By Saint Paul ! but one 
man to stay us ! Back, Roaring Dick I Be ready to 
fight, but share no butchery I ” 

Don Martinez de Alcantara, cool and resolute, had 
left his brother’s side and sprang to dispute the way into 
the drawing-room. The foremost conspirator he lev- 
eled with one deadly thrust, his blade crossed that of 
Juan de Rada, and presently the old counselor of Al- 
magro leaped back, the blood streaming down his cheek. 
Yet only for a second did he withdraw. Yelling furi- 
ously to his associates, he dashed in again ; they seconded 
him with ready weapons, and the walls rang to the clash 
of steel on steel. 

In obedience to the command of his captain, Dick 
Ruggles sunk his ax to the carpet and stood still. To- 
gether the two Englishmen watched the unequal com- 
bat. 

Determined, desperate, perfect master of his weapon, 
and fighting now in harder straits than he had ever ex- 
perienced before, Martinez de Alcantara proved well that 
his reputation as a knight renowned for deeds of arms 
was fully deserved. With almost superhuman strength 
and skill he faced and for a few moments actually 
brought the men of Chile to a halt. His rapier seemed 
as if inspired to guard him, a dozen well-intended passes 
it turned aside at once. The pressure was too great to 


132 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


last, however, and presently his doublet was stained with 
blood in several places. 

Reluctantly he gave ground. Two pages of Pizarro, 
leaving their master, by his direction, to fasten his cui- 
rass alone, now rushed to the aid of Don Martinez. 
Again the progress of the Almagrians was stayed, dan- 
gerous thrusts were given and received, another of the 
assailants lay dead upon the floor. 

The voice of Juan de Rada made itself heard in this 
crisis. 

''Santa Maria! press not so closely, friends, you em- 
barrass each other,” he called with the calmness of the 
old soldier. “Meet them man to man ; as those in front 
tire, let them give way to others in their turn. They 
can’t resist us long at that game ! ” 

The wisdom of these directions was almost imme- 
diatdy proved. Under the more methodical efforts of 
the attacking party Alcantara and the undaunted youths 
who fought at his side were now gradually but surely 
forced back. The Men of Chile, long inured to sword 
play, replaced each other every few moments ; before 
ever-succeeding fresh and vigorous blades the weapons 
of the desperate defenders of the marquis began to 
droop. 

Yet still they kept their feet, their weakening voices 
still uttered their defiant war cries ; bloody from shoulder 
to heel, these crimson-dyed heroes disputed doggedly 
every inch of the path to where their master still strove 
to clasp the fastenings of his armor. 

Francisco Pizarro, the grinding clatter of swords in 
his ears, the furious shouts of his blood-craving enemies 
flung back unceasingly from the walls of his own saloon, 
was in no whit dismayed or affrighted. 

While his brother and his devoted attendants held back 
the death that looked him in the face, the marquis might, 
perhaps, have escaped, yet no such idea even entered his 
mind. 

To don his well-proved mail was his only thought, 
and that once accomplished he counted upon carrying 
valuable succor to his defenders. 

Nearer and nearer to where he stood Don Martinez 
and the pages were driven, and still the age-stiffened 
fingers of Pizarro worked at their difficult task — for a 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


33 


cavalier to assume his war-gear unaided, at that day, was 
the work of many minutes. Here every second was of 
importance ; three wavering rapiers held by hands en- 
feebled by loss of blood were all that retarded fate, en- 
deavoring with gallant but hopeless valor to stay the 
march of the inevitable. 

Martinez de Alcantara reeled and tottered, the gore 
that spurted from his mouth reddening his beard and 
breast. With unquenched spirit the dying knight nev- 
ertheless pulled himself together and with his last 
strength cut stubbornly at his enemies. 

The Marquis Francisco, assured of the futility of his 
labor, hurled the cuirass from him at last with a bitter 
curse, grasped his rapier, and rushed to take his stand 
beside his brother. Ere he reached him Alcantara sunk 
to the carpet, covered with wounds, dead by the time he 
touched the floor. 

The shout that followed his fall was loud and trium- 
phant ; but through it thundered the wrathful roar of 
the old Conquistador. 

“Scum! Ye have not won yet! Would ye slay me 
in mine own house, villains ! To work, then ! Come 
on, I say ! Ye have to do with Francisco Pizarro !“ 

They set upon him without more ado. He was a 
man long past the prime of life, and to such enemies 
should have been easy prey. Yet it was not so. 

In his last moments, the vigor of his youthful years 
seemed to have come back to the governor ; he was again 
the unmatched knight whose hardy prowess had formed 
material for a hundred tales of “derring-do.” Twice 
they rushed upon him and strove to level him to earth. 
Twice he met and stayed them, and fought them and 
forced them to recoil. And at each assault one of the 
men of Chile died. 

“He can fight like a Englishman, Master Grafton !” 
Roaring Dick cried in delight. “He’s drove the Dons 
off again. By your leave. I’ll haul alongside an’ grap- 
ple him !” 

The heavy ax-head rose threateningly. “Stand, 
Ruggles, move not a finger,” Howard cried, sternly, 
while again the Almagrians closed in. 

Before their vindictive blades the two pages, at last 
exhausted, went down. 


134 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


The sword of Pizarro yet flashed unconquered. The 
Men of Chile hesitated again. 

“How long the business takes ! Death to the tyrant !” 
and as he spoke Juan de Rada suddenly grasped Mar- 
vaez by the shoulders and pushed him full upon the 
marquis, who seized the unhappy malcontent by the 
throat with his left hand, and at the same time ran him 
through the body with his right. 

Before Pizarro could disengage his tangled weapon, 
a poniard pierced his throat. He fell, and as he 
touched the carpet the rapiers of De Rada and three 
others crashed through him from side to side. 

The marquis dropped his sword. Raising himself 
upon his elbow, he traced the sign of the cross upon the 
gory floor, and bent to kiss it. 

Borregan, seizing a huge earthen water- jar from a 
table, brought it down with all his strength upon the 
defenseless head. 

''Jesu!" broke from the bleeding lips, and the Con- 
queror of Peru lay dead at the feet of those whom he 
had despised too much to fear. 

No time was wasted by his slayers in exultation at 
their triumph. Juan de Rada was in command, and he 
was not the man to pause with his work half accom- 
plished. 

“Speed now, caballeros !’' he cried, imperiously. 
“Away, each one of you, to his own followers ! Seize 
what horses and arms ye know of, and rendezvous in an 
hour from now upon the Plaza. Geronimo de Alvarado, 
Senor Howard, a word with you.” 

As the companions of his embassy to the Inca ap- 
proached, he continued, swiftly : 

“Alvarado, take what men you have ready, go to 
Picado’s house and arrest him. Senor Howard, you 
with your brave Ruggles will bear Geronimo company. 
If the secretary be not at home, search the city, but do 
not return without him.” 

The cavaliers saluted, and hurried from the palace to 
the spot where the partisans recruited by Alvarado 
were assembled. Straight to the dwelling of Picado 
they marched, burst noisily into the hall, and demanded 
of the shrinking servants, whom their threatening en- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


135 


trance had brought thither from all quarters, the where- 
abouts of their master. 

Ere any of the menials could summon courage to 
reply, the Rose of Rimac, roused from her midday 
siesta, came swiftly down the stairs. Eyeing the 
trembling domestics with haughty disdain, she con- 
fronted the band of Almagrians. 

“A curious proceeding this, sehors,” she cried, “to 
thus disturb the quiet of my home ! What do you think 
to do here, may I ask ? Shame, Sehor Howard, Sehor 
Alvarado ! I had not supposed either of you to be wor- 
shipers of the wine-cup!” 

“Nor are we, Sehorita,” Geronimo replied. “We 
but wish to see your father. Where is he?” 

“My father! Do you not know that for such inso- 
lence as this he will be like to have you hanged ? How 
dare you enter his house in this fashion, knowing his 
influence with the marquis !” 

The girl's eyes flashed hard and bright. 

There was complete silence for a second as she stood 
before them, beautiful to look upon in her anger. The 
Almagrians, enraptured at her loveliness, were dumb, 
and not one made reply. 

Then the stillness was broken by a hoarse chuckle 
from Roaring Dick. 

Rosa Picado glared indignantly at the seaman ; but 
the red flush of wrath fled from her cheeks, leaving them 
white as ivory. She had marked the great, blood- 
smeared ax upon Richard’s shoulder. 

Her left hand was pressed upon her heart, her right 
extended in entreaty to Grafton Howard. 

"What is it, Senor Howard?” she panted. “Ex- 
plain, I do not understand. My father ?” 

“We are looking for him, Senorita,” the Englishman 
said politely. We intend to oflfer him no violence.” 

“Violence! To him! But — ah, Madre Dolorosa!” 
she cried, “I know now ! The marquis, you have killed 
him ?” 

“He is dead, Senorita,” Howard answered, coldly. 

With a deep sigh the. Rose of Rimac sank fainting 
upon the floor. 

Bidding the servants carry their mistress to her own 
rooms, Geronimo de Alvarado was about to order a 


136 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


search of the house and grounds, when a shabby citi- 
zen, who, with others of his class, had been drawn by 
curiosity to enter in their wake, touched his arm to at- 
tract his attention. 

“Go to Riquelme’s house,” he whispered. “Your 
game is there.” 

To the mansion of the treasurer for the Crown they 
accordingly bent their steps, and were received with 
the utmost cordiality by its owner in person. 

“ It affords me great tribulation, sehors,” he cried, 
after he had heard their errand, “to be compelled to as- 
sure you that my dear friend Picado is not here.” 

And even as he was speaking the eyes of the wretched 
extortioner were meaningly directed to the door of a 
closet that showed in a corner of the room. 

The Almagrians were quick to take the hint. Burst- 
ing the lock, they discovered the luckless secretary, 
whom they at once dragged forth and led with grim 
satisfaction toward the Plaza. At times, as they passed 
through the streets, small bands of armed men crossed 
their path, hurrying hither and thither in their search 
for horses and arms. These foraging comrades greet- 
ed the hated secretary with yells and hoots of triumph. 

When., at last they came out upon the Plaza they 
found it thronged with an excited crowd of citizens, 
terrified, amazed, unknowing what was next to follow. 
Amid the mass of people the Brothers of Mercy were 
slowly making their way in solemn procession, the host 
raised high in air, striving with all the means in their 
power to allay the tumult. 

As Howard and Alvarado with their prisoner entered 
the square, the rabble before them separated and fell 
back on both sides, while their parting disclosed to view 
a gallant band of horsemen debouching from the street 
directly opposite. 

Rapidly they rode into the Plaza and formed in a 
line bright with the flash of armor, the white banner of 
Almagro waving proudly in the center. The trumpets 
sounded long and loud. The populace of Ciudad dc 
los Reyes, overawed and abashed, made no opposition, 
but stood in sullen apathy to hear the young Diego pro- 
claimed governor and captain-general of Peru. The 
Men of Chile had the upper hand, and that night their 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


137 


chief and his leading partisans passed in the viceregal 
palace. 

To occupy the dwelling of the late Pizarro was more 
to the taste of Diego de' Almagro than was the first 
matter in which he was called upon to act in his official 
capacity. 

Scarcely had he breakfasted next morning when 
Rosa de Picado, more lovely than ever in her grief, 
knelt in supplication before him, beseeching him to save 
her father. 

The heart of the young leader, generous and impul- 
sive to a fault, was deeply moved at the distress of his 
beloved. 

“Rise, Rosa, rise,” he cried, raising her in his arms 
and straining her to his breast. “ ‘Tis for me to be at 
thy feet, imploring pardon for the discomfort thou hast 
undergone!” They were alone, for Almagro had 
granted the Rose of Rimac a private audience. 

“Nay, my Diego, now thou art governor, is it be- 
fitting that thou act thus?” she laughed through her 
tears, fully reassured by the fervor of her lover. “The 
state, methinks, will have a gentler hand now upon the 
helm than that of the marquis.” 

“Ever gentle to thee, at least, beloved one,” Almagro 
answered fondly. “In power as in weakness, in re- 
nown as in obscurity, my first thought shall always be 
to please thee, my Rosa.” 

“Then my father is safe,” the Rose of Rimac cried, 
“for ” 

The door was flung open and Juan de Rada came 
hastily into the room. 

“ Sangre de Cristo! but he is stubborn, Diego! ” he 
called out as he crossed the threshold. “They’ve had 
him on the rack, and he’s afforded them amusement 
since sunrise, but not-a word will he — ha ! what is this ?” 

The old adventurer came to an abrupt halt, and stood 
moodily twisting his moustache. 

“ You know the Senorita Picado well, Juan,” Al- 
magro said quickly. “ She comes ” 

“To beg her father’s life, T suppose,” De Rada broke 
in, bitterly. “Answer me one word, yes or no. Have 
you promised ?” 

“Why, as to that, Juan de Rada,” Diego was com- 


138 THE GIRDLE 'OF THE GOD. 

mencing, but the glad laugh of his mentor gave him no 
chance to finish. 

“You have not! Bueno, bueno! Nor shall you, 
while I live I Senorita, your suit is hopeless ; you must 
leave us at once, for there is much before the governor 
to-day. Here, my boy, a word in your ear.” 

Before the Rose of Rimac could prevent, he had 
caught Almagro by the arm and drawn him a few paces 
aside, holding him tight and whispering swiftly : 

“It can't be done, do you understand? You dare not 
save him ! Spare his life, and by sundown you’ll not 
have a single sword to support your authority. The 
old friends of your father love you for his sake; but 
they hate Picado for their own. He has done too much 
against them, and they will never forgive. No man in 
Peru is hated as he is by all the Men of Chile. Save him 
— and you ruin yourself. Besides, he can’t live — now. 
He’s undergone the torture to try and make him reveal 
the hiding-place of secret treasurers of the governor — 
and you know what that means.” 

The face of her lover as he again turned to her when 
Juan de Rada had released his arm was enough to tell 
the Rose of Rimac that the fight had gone against her. 

Raising her hand, she made a slight gesture that 
stayed his voice as he was about to speak. 

“You need not tell me more, Diego,” she said, mourn- 
fully.^ “I understand too well that you can do nothing. 
I will not take up more of the governor’s time. And — 
I will not forget you, Senor Juan de Rada,” glancing 
at the old cavalier with a quiet and steady eye. 

She turned to leave the room. 

''Cristo! She takes it with a spirit worthy of better 
blood than hers !” De Rada muttered. 

Then, with perhaps a sudden feeling of pity, “You 
had best not go to your own home, Senorita Rosa. 
There are those marching thither at this moment who 
will leave but little of it for you to recognize. Diego, 
we had best oflfer the Senorita Picado the shelter of 
your father’s house. There she will be safe with Senor 
Shoreham and his daughter, who now occupy it alone. 
Senors Howard and Ruggles left at daybf^ak to join 
the Inca.” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


139 


‘‘If you will so honor me, Rosa,” Almagro said, plead- 
ingly. 

She bent her head in silent assent, and with De Rada 
left the room. 

Diego sank into a chair, where he sat for a long time, 
his face buried in his hands. 


BOOK IV. 


As Decreed 


BY Fate ! 


CHAPTER XIV. 

''my turn now/" 

Upon a hot morning early in July, more than a year 
subsequent to the assassination of Francisco Pizarro, 
two Peruvian nobles were walking slowly side by side 
up and down the small portico that lay without the au- 
dience-room where the Inca Manco had received the 
envoys of Almagro. Being upon the western side of 
the palace, the high wall of the building protected with 
its shadows the promenaders from the rays of the sun 
that were scorching mountain and valley alike with un- 
comfortable intensity. So interested, however, was the 
pair, in earnest conversation, that the condition of the 
atmosphere was to them of no moment. 

An observer, no matter how small his knowledge of 
matters pertaining to their race, would, judging from 
their attire and bearing, at once have pronounced them 
native magnates of the highest rank; as, in fact, they 
were, being no other than Paullo, brother to the Inca, 
in company with the monarch himself. The first- 
named was speaking in a tone that, though it conformed 
to all outward marks of deference and respect, had in it 
more than a hint of sullen irritation. 

“It would be better that you grant my request, broth- 
er mine,” he answered, stubbornly, to some observation 
of the Inca, made just before. “ For months I have 
been made to feel that my day of usefulness in my pres- 
ent capacity is gone. Gladly would I lay down the 
command of the army and return to court, content to 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


141 

live in the light shed by your all-gracious countenaxicc. ' 

Manco laughed. 

“Why not be frank, Paullo, and say in plain words 
what you have so often hinted to me, that my policy in 
the management of my soldiers is not in accordance with 
your approval ?” 

“Nay, the Inca is all-wise,” his brother hastened to 
ejaculate, with an humble bendjof the neck. 

"Sapient enough at least to know the cause of all 
these pretenses of fatigue and distaste for a military 
life,” the sovereign returned curtly. “You have never 
liked my bringing the white warrior Howard into my 
service, and the fact that I have entrusted to him the 
duty of reorganizing my forces has been bitter for your 
pride. What fault have you to find with him? Are 
not my legions better versed in the Spaniards’ methods 
of warfare since he came among us ? Has he not shown 
us how we may meet their cavalry without fear of de- 
feat, even upon level ground? Are not the men now 
thoroughly instructed* and made familiar with all the 
uses and effects of the white men’s weapons? Yon 
know that it is so, and that he has accomplished these 
results.” 

“Aye, my brother, I know,” the Peruvian general 
grudgingly admitted. 

“Then why should you be angry? My state is 
strengthened, and that should cause joy in your heart.” 

“I fear lest what seems an access of power may turn 
out, in fact, an irreparable weakness,” Paullo answered. 
“This white leader of yours has a faculty for winning 
men’s hearts, my brother. Throughout the army the 
common soldiers, and the lower officers, too. for that 
matter, adore him. I question if they would follow you 
farther than they would him.” 

“They have always followed me as far as I care to 
go,” the Inca said calmly, “and they will do so again. 
Their devotion to the Englishman suits me. Together 
we may do something.” 

“But suppose they should come to prefer him to you. 
brother?” Paullo’s manner was not quite assured, and 
he hesitated. “The white men always desire to be first, 
and ” 

“Brother, the men of our race will never turn against 


142 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


the Children of the Sun,” Manco interrupted proudly. 
“You know that without my word behind him the Eng- 
lishman is powerless. Besides he is a man who does 
not lie. He contracted to serve me. He will never 
try to mount above me.” 

“If he plot not against your power he may yet never- 
theless conspire against your honor,” the brother of the 
Inca retorted, a malicious flash in his fiery black eyes. 

“My honor ! You have got to the point at last, then. 
Explain yourself.” 

“That is soon done. Your favorite has had time for 
other things than making soldiers who can face the 
Spaniards for you. By what means I know not, he 
has gained the love of our sister Oello, destined by our 
sacred custom to be the bride of none but you. They 
have met many times in secret. It is time that you 
should know.” 

To the surprise of Paullo, the face of his brother and 
king remained placid as before. In fact, a slight smile 
hovered about his imperious lips. 

“Who is aware of this besides yourself and me?” he 
asked deliberately. 

“No one but the Villac Vmu. He ” 

“See him as soon as you leave me, and bid him hold 
his tongue. This sacrilege, too, as he must, deem it, 
may move him to vengeance against the Englishman. 
Let him dare to make no attempt upon the white man’s 
life.” 

The face of Paullo betrayed the blankest amazement. 

“By Chasca of the curling locks!” he cried, “brother, 
you knew ?” 

“More than you have told me. Paullo, I am the 
Inca. The king of my people has no easy task now. 
He can not spend his hours in repose and pleasure, as 
did our uncle Atahuallpa, before the Spaniards came. 
He must work and plan. I do both. Listen to me. I 
have designs that I will not have thwarted. It is 
necessary for their success that you remain the nominal 
head of my army, carrying out implicitly every order 
that I may issue. No more complaints, then ; do your 
duty as I do mine. You have heard my words.” 

The brother of the king bowed and was silent. He 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


143 


knew that what had been said carried with it the threat 
of his own destruction should he dare to disobey. 

An officer appeared at that moment from between 
the curtains of the audience-room and stood at the sa- 
lute, his left hand with the back against his forehead. 
At a gesture from the Inca, he wheeled as if upon a 
pivot and disappeared whence he had come. 

“The Sehor Howard will be here presently,” Manco 
observed. “A cavalier from young Almagro came to 
him last night. This morning he has news of impor- 
tance for me. You may return to the city.” 

The Inca’s brother left the portico at once. Two 
minutes later Grafton Howard and Geronimo de Al- 
varado were standing before the king. 

Manco greeted the Englishman with a cordiality that 
seemed almost affectionate. 

“You have tidings, my trusty warrior?” he cried, 
frankly. “There is that in your eye that speaks of 
work for us both, is it not so ?” 

“Perhaps, my king,” Howard replied, using the title 
to which his year’s service under the Inca had accus- 
tomed him. “The Sehor Alvarado has much to relate 
— I thought it best that you should hear him yourself, 
so I brought him hither.” 

“ Walk on either side of me, Caballeros,” the Peru- 
vian sovereign said with courtesy. “I am taking my 
morning exercise, and you can talk in the meanwhile. 
Sehor Alvarado, I am eager to hear what you have to 
say.” 

“Inca, I scarce know at what point to begin,” Geron- 
imo de Alvarado rejoined in tones dignified and re- 
spectful. 

“Tell all that has happened since the Sehor Howard 
left your ranks. We have had news of your doings, of 
course; but the tongue of one who, like yourself, has 
been deep in the counsels of your chief can inform us 
thoroughly of many things that may have puzzled us,” 
smiled the Inca. 

“To do that will take me back to the death of the mar- 
quis,” Geronimo commenced. “The Sehor Howard de- 
parted to join you on the following morning. We had 
but little leisure to mourn his departure. All our 
energies were bent to the task of firmly establishing the 


144 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


new government. Horses and arms had to be procured 
for our men, too, and I can tell you that Ciudad de los 
Reyes was pretty thoroughly ransacked.” 

“You got good store of munitions, though?” 

The question of Manco was almost an assertion. 

“Inca, we did. By the efforts of De Rada, our army 
( was soon put into fighting trim. The treasures of the 
marquis and his creatures we applied without scruple 
to the purpose. I suppose that you know of the be- 
heading of Picado ?” 

Both of the listeners nodded affirmatively. 

“His daughter bore it with more composure than I 
had looked for,” Alvarado went on, smiling. “Father 
and fortune both gone — for the secretary’s estate was 
confiscated — she took up her abode with the Senor 
Shoreham, and has since been under his protection.” 

“Enough of the Rose of Rimac,” the Inca broke in, 
somewhat impatiently. Then, seeing Geronimo’s look 
of surprise, he added : 

“The lady is thus known throughout Peru. You 
need not wonder that I have heard of her.” 

“Nay, what you say, Inca, is but the truth. Far has 
the name of the Senorita Picado traveled — and may 
go farther ere she die. But to subjects of more im- 
port! Ciudad de los Reyes was ours. To Arequipa 
and Truxillo forces were sent by Juan de Rada, and 
they came without demur under the white banner. At 
Cuzco we were not so fortunate. Our friends there, 
indeed, at first seized the control of affairs. But those 
of the Pizarro faction — and they were many — we're not 
content. Alvarez de Holguin, with a goodly array of 
the marquis’s soldiers, was not far off. Him they sum- 
moned. he hastened to answer their call, our partisans 
werc.<^ iven out, and Cuzco remained in the hands of the 
enemy.” 

“Pizarro — may he now dwell in the black halls of 
Cupay — had many steadfast friends,” Manco said re- 
flectively. 

“He had, of a truth, and they deserted not his cause, 
even after his death,” rejoined Geronimo. “You may 
remember, Senor Howard, how, when we accompanied 
Juan de Rada to this very valley, De Sotelo and my 
cousin Garcia set out for the north to make interest 
for us with the long-expected royal governor ?” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


145 


“Yes, I have not forgotten. At the meeting we held 
upon our return they reported that the officer of the 
Crown had been lost at sea,” Grafton answered. 

“Exactly. Well, the story they had heard was not 
founded on fact. The Licentiate Vaca de Castro was 
not drowned in the ocean. Though storms delayed his 
ships, they reached port finally, and he landed at Buena 
Ventura. The news of his arrival was borne to Alonso 
de Alvarado, that officer of the marquis whom old 
Diego de Almagro beat at the bridge of Abancay. Two 
hundred of the best soldiers that ever called Pizarro 
leader were under his command in the north, and he 
had not ceased to cherish the memory of his ancient 
defeat.” 

“He made head against you then?” Manco de- 
manded. 

“Aye, Inca, he did not delay in choosing his part. 
The royal governor, worn out by the voyage, journeyed 
slowly, and did not learn of Pizarro’s death until he ar- 
rived at Popayan. He is a man, at all events, I will 
say that for him ! He did not turn back in affright. 
Letters from Alvarado told him what support he could 
expect. He has a commission from the emperor to 
assume supreme authority in case of the death of Fran- 
cisco Pizarro. Relying upon that paper and the prom- 
ises of Alonso de Alvarado, the churchman marched 
upon Quito.” 

“Gonzalo Pizarro left a garrison in that town before 
he started into the heart of the continent,” commented 
the Inca. 

“His lieutenant there acknowledged Vaca de Cas- 
tro’s right to command him,” Geronimo said quickly. 
“Together with his troops he gave in his adherence. 
Benalcazar, too, came in with what men he could 
muster, and thus the north is turned against us.” 

“Benalcazar! A stout soldier is the Conqueror of 
Quito!” muttered the lord of the Peruvians, half to 
himself. 

“Yes, and a general of no mean talents. Vaca de 
Castro is a churchman, with no pretension to military 
science. Benalcazar and Alvarado will supply that de- 
ficiency, however,” Geronimo returned, in somewhat 
rueful tones. 


146 THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 

“But you were not idle, you Men of Chile, all this 
time ?” the Inca demanded. 

“Not idle, certainly. Yet the appearance of the vice- 
roy, as one may call him, gave us enough to trouble 
our heads about. Dissension rose at once in our coun- 
cils, and what to do we could hardly decide. Some of 
us, De Rada the moving spirit, wished to march to 
Quito and crush Vaca de Castro. With the small force 
he then had at his disposal we could have dealt easily.’’ 

“And yet you did not move?” Manco queried, a 
sarcastic smile playing about his lips. 

“No, the majority were for arranging terms of sub- 
mission to the Crown that would palliate our offense in 
slaughtering Pizarro,” the young Spaniard sneered. 
“Some urged one course, some another. We might 
have been debating matters until this day had not word 
reached us that Holguin with three hundred men had 
left Cuzco and had started north with the purpose of 
effecting a junction with Alonso de Alvarado.” 

“ That you should never have allowed,” the sovereign 
declared with kindling eyes. 

“Nor would we have permitted it, if fate had not 
thwarted us in the most unforeseen manner. As soon as 
we knew of Holguin’s design, it was determined to 
march immediately upon Xauxa and cut him off from 
Quito. The army was in fairly good trim, and we 
should have arrived in plenty of time had not Juan de 
Rada died suddenly a few days after we set out.” 

“And what did he die of?” Manco demanded. 

“A fever,” Geronimo answered shortly, a peculiar 
smile lighting his eyes as he spoke the words. As 
neither of his auditors made any comment, after a mo- 
ment he resumed : 

“The loss of the man who really managed the cam- 
paign was attended by the most serious consequences. 
After De Rada, Cristoval de Sotelo and Garcia de Al- 
varado held the highest commands. Their disputes 
immediately threw the army into the worst possible con- 
dition.” 

“But I thought, from what you have told me when I 
asked you concerning the friends of Almagro, my Eng- 
lishman, that those two cavaliers were inseparable com- 
rades,” objected the Inca. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


147 


"There are no enemies like those who have once been 
close friends,’’ Geronimo de Alvarado said, dryly. " A 
cause of dissension had risen between those two gentle- 
men and turned their hearts from each other. I have 
never seen a more bitter hatred! What one wished, 
the second at once opposed. Their followers stood by 
them, each for his own captain, and the camp became 
the scene of ever-succeeding broils. Precious days 
were wasted in quarreling, it took all of Almagro’s 
thoughts to prevent a regular battle among ourselves. 
When we at last got to Xauxa we were too late. Hol- 
guin had pressed his march, passed in safety, and made 
his way though the mountain defiles to Huaura, where 
Alonso de Alvarado was waiting for him.” 

"Together they could array a strong force against 
you,” Manco observed. 

"One that we did not then care to meddle with. We 
had missed Holguin, but by his going Cuzco was left 
without defenders. Almagro determined to seize the 
ancient capital, and dispatched Sotelo on that errand, 
following with the main army more leisurely. When 
we came in sight of the metropolis of your ancestors, 
Inca, the banner of our party waved above it. The 
citizens received us well, and we settled down among 
them to recruit our strength and prepare for the final * 
struggle that we all know is not far distant.” 

"You had quiet winter quarters, then, in Cuzco?” 
the monarch asked, courteously. 

"Quiet I Such quiet as may be found when two fac- 
tions are ever striving to best each other. The feud of 
De Sotelo and my cousin Garcia grew more bitter as 
the days went by. Such a contention is always too 
heartfelt to last. Garcia, always headstrong, ended 
the matter by going to Cristoval’s room with a band of 
his men and putting his rival to death.” 

"Ha I” the Inca exclaimed, in a low voice, a gleam of 
joy in his fiery eyes. To the heart of the heir of Ata- 
huallpa these tidings of strife among members of the 
conquering race brought nothing but delight. 

"You were about to say, Inca?” questioned Geroni- 
mo, who had been surprised at that sudden, triumphant 
ejaculation. 

"Nothing. Go on,” Manco rejoined, smiling. 


148 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“Such an action showed too much contempt for the 
authority of our new governor to be condoned,” Ge- 
ronimo proceeded. “Garcia de Alvarado felt this, and 
though Almagro took no measures to bring him to 
punishment, he was sure that he was not forgiven. 
Urged by this belief, he decided to turn traitor and de- 
liver Diego over to Vaca de Castro.” 

The Inca gave vent to a brief snort of disgust, and 
spat viciously upon the stones of the porch. 

“Inca, this subject is not pleasant for me to dwell 
upon,” the Spanish cavalier continued, mournfully. 
“Garcia was my relation, and I once loved him. The 
proofs of his infamy before my eyes, however — for his 
treacherous design was discovered — I had no scruples 
as to the part I should take. I was the first to suggest 
to Diego de Almagro that traitors merited no trial. 
Supported by his friends, our gallant young leader 
treated Garcia as he had Sotelo.” 

“They are both dead, then? Well, that is better for 
Almagro,” the Inca said with decision. 

“Yes, his word is undisputed now, and the Men of 
Chile look only to him. He is not unworthy of obe- 
dience, Inca. He is straining every nerve to place the 
strongest possible force in the field. He has ordered 
me to remind you of the promise you gave in my hear- 
ing to old Juan de Rada. You have not forgotten, I 
trust. Pizarro, whom you both hated, is dead, but his 
party still exists. Without your aid, they may per- 
haps crush Diego de Almagro. Therefore he sends 
word to you by me that he needs assistance.” 

“The royal governor, then, has not been lying quiet 
in Quito?” Manco asked, his face an impenetrable 
mask that betrayed not the interest he felt in the ques- 
tion. 

“Far from it. He has sent his proclamations 
throughout the land by sure hands, and from all sides 
partisans have gathered to his standard. Undoubtedly 
he possesses rare qualities, and is well fitted for the task 
intrusted to him by the emperor.” 

“ Who commands his army?” interjected the king, 
“Alvarado, Holguin, or Benalcazar?” 

“Vaca de Castro himself is their general,” Geronimo 
rejoined. “ His knowledge of war, they say, is abso- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


49 


lutely nothing. But he can handle men. You will 
comprdiend how well when I tell you that Alvarado 
and Holguin were on the verge of a quarrel concerning 
the chief command, and the viceroy assumed it in per- 
son without giving offense to either.” 

“Ah! No common man, at all events!” the Inca 
murmured. “ What has he done besides? ” 

“ He has left Quito and moved south, conducting 
his advance with deliberation. His forces now hold 
Ciudad de los Keyes and he must soon move against 
us at Cuzco. Either that or we must seek him. Inca, 
do we go to the battle without you ? ” 

“ You have my word,” Manco responded, somewhat 
haughtily. “ Tell your chieftain that I will perform 
what I have promised. Arms, captured by my soldiers 
at the siege of Cuzco, I have in abundance. T hey shall 
be his if his forces need further equipment. My brother 
Paullo shall march with a strong portion of my army 
to support Almagro as soon as he takes the field. Will 
that suffice? ” 

“ Admirably. But furthermore, Inca, my general 
desires that you restore to him the Senor Howard. 
Almagro needs loyal hearts at present.” Geronimo de 
Alvarado smiled at the Englishman. 

“ Would you like to leave me, my white warrior? ” 
the Inca demanded, slowly. 

“ Not forever, my king. Still, if you can spare me, I 
would like to go back with my friend Alvarado to 
Cuzco,” Grafton replied. 

” Be it so, then. Return to Diego de Almagro, 
Senor, and report what you have heard of my inten- 
tions. You may accompany him, my Englishman, yet 
I would still have you consider that you are in my 
service. Accept no command under the son of the 
marshal, then, until you have learned my wishes. Senor 
Alvarado, I have a mind to revisit Cuzco once more. 
Will your general give me a welcome, think you ? ” 
“ I can answer for him that he will be overjoyed to 
see you, Inca,” the cavalier returned, with a bow. 

Then tell him to expect me. I will send him word 
when I shall arrive. Leave me now, caballeros, I have 
no more time to give you this morning. Before you 
depart, Senor Alvarado, you shall receive tokens of my 


150 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


satisfaction at the manner in which you have fulfilled 
your errand. And you, my instructor in warfare, shall 
not be forgotten.” 

The Inca received the parting salutations of the cava- 
liers with a smiling face ; but as they passed the curtains 
and were beyond his view his expression changed. 
Raising his eyes toward the sky, whence streamed the 
refulgent beams of the deity he adored, he murmured : 

“At last ! At last the accursed Spaniards are at each 
other’s throats ! Grant, O great Pachacamac, that it be 
indeed my turn now !” 


CHAPTER XV. 

DEATH IN THE TEMPLE. 

Side by side, Grafton Howard and Geronimo de Al- 
varado traversed the corridors of the palace and 
emerged together through the great encraxice. rii Uie 
foot of the steps before the portico, three horses — a 
roan, a gray, and a bay — were restlessly pawing the 
earth, held by as many Peruvian servants in the livery 
of the Inca, azure and silver. The bay was the prop- 
erty of Roaring Dick Ruggles, the gray belonged to 
Alvarado, and the roan, an animal of great strength and 
spirit, was Juan de Rada’s parting gift to Grafton 
Howard, upon the Englishman’s departing to join the 
Indian armies. 

Descending the steps and approaching his charger, 
the adventurer looked about him with a somewhat im- 
patient glance. 

“Now, where in the devil hath Roaring Dick betaken 
himself?” he muttered beneath his moustache, and pro- 
ceeded to put the question at once to the natives, using 
their own tongue, with which his residence among them 
had by this time made him familiar. 

He who held the bridle of Howard’s steed, delivering 
his charge to its master, replied briefly that the white 
chieftain with the ruddy countenance had gone within 
the palace, but could easily be found. 

“Find him, then, and be quick,” Grafton answered. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


with a mental exclamation of disgust at the conduct of 
the mariner, who had been requested not to leave the 
horses. 

The Peruvian ran quickly into the building, and five 
minutes later Ruggles came hurriedly forth alone. The 
man who had gone to seek him had remained behind 
and was not to be seen. 

“Aye, aye, Master Grafton,” Dick returned stolidly, 
in answer to his captain's reproaches. “I knows as how 
1 be i' the wrong. But the morn is hot, and a message 
from a cap’n in the guard who’s a friend o’ my own let 
me know that there was coolin’ drink to be had at his 
room within there. I took but the time to go and put 
away a cup or two, and the horses be here all safe and 
sound. So where's the harm, say I ?” 

“ By Saint Paul ! this life among the hills hath de- 
moralized you. Dick,” Howard said, with an attempt at 
sternness, though he felt more disposed to laugh at the 
insinuating expression Richard was endeavoring to 
throw into face and voice. “Upon blue water you were 
won’t to carry out orders to the letter. Best pull thyself 
together, and pay heed to what I say in the future. 
Thou knowest I love not mutineers.” 

“Aye, aye, Cap’n Howard,” Roaring Dick answered, 
humbly, a gleam of apprehension in his eye, though his 
leader’s tone had been by no means unkind. 

“I know what he means when he has that twist to his 
tongue, and sink me if I leave tfie lookout again for all 
the drinks this side o’ perdition,” he went on, muttering 
to himself as he prepared to mount. “’ Twas just so he 
spoke to old Bob Rullock afore he had him hanged off 
the Madeiras, and — Holy Paul ! he’ll be killed ! ” 

Richard’s murmured' soliloquy ended in violent excla- 
mation. 

Howard, having finished his reproof to his subordi- 
nate, placed his foot in the stirrup and sprang at once to 
his horses’ back. Upon feeling his rider’s weight, the 
beast gave a sudden scream of mingled rage and pain, 
rose almost perpendicularly upon his hind legs and 
madly pawed the air with his forefeet. 

Remaining but a few seconds in this position, the 
charger dropped again upon all fours and dashed fu- 
riously hither and thither about the lawn, plunging, 


152 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


wheeling, backing, rushing desperately to all quarters 
of the compass in vain endeavors to unseat the cavalier, 
who kept his place as if welded to the brute beneath 
him. Ruggles and Alvarado cried out in alarm, but 
could do nothing to aid their companion, who, however, 
seemed fully competent to take care of himself. 

Indeed, Howard’s peril was not of long duration. 
Taking advantage of a pause made by the roan in his 
erratic career, Grafton leaped nimbly to the ground and 
grasped the bridle near the bit ere the horse could evade 
his hand. Immediately the animal became quiet enough, 
and stood with heaving sides and quivering limbs, 
breathing heavily. 

“Soho! quiet, quiet, my Pelayo!” the Englishman 
said, soothingly. “What can be the matter with him?” 
he added, as his friends came hurrying to his side. “ He 
has a spirit brave as a lion’s, and a temper gentle as a 
lady’s, ordinarily.” 

“ He be enchanted. Master Grafton,” Ruggles cried 
with trembling lips. “These Injun nigromancers ha’ 
put some spell on him !” 

“Certainly his behavior was most strange,” chimed in 
Geronimo. “A more sudden fit of wrath I have never 
before remarked in a charger. You are fortunate to 
possess a sound neck, Senor Howard.” 

“So I myself think,” Grafton muttered, slowly. “He 
was quiet as a lamb before I mounted,” he continued, 
reflectively. “Dick Ruggles, take off his saddle.” __ 

Swiftly Roaring Richard obeyed his captain’s com- 
mand. The heavy saddle and gaudy housings of the 
steed removed, the mystery of his curious performances 
was at once laid bare. The thorny leaf of some cactus- 
like plant of the mountains had been placed Reneath 
the saddle-cloth in such a way that while the horse felt 
no inconvenience so long as he was unbacked, the weight 
of a rider, forcing the cruel spines deep into the flesh, 
caused him excruciating agony. 

At this discovery, Roaring Dick said not a single 
word. He turned in his footsteps, drew his sword and 
started immediately toward the two Indian servants 
who still watched the white men from the steps of the 
palace. The sharp voice of Howard, however, called 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


153 


him back ere he had taken three strides in their direc- 
tion. 

“Halt, there! and put up your bread-winner, Dick 
Ruggles,” Grafton cried, sternly. “1 can avenge my 
own quarrels when I see fit. Resaddle Pelayo now, 
and 1 ll warrant you that he'll make no more such dis- 
plays as he did a few moments since.” 

“This is a plainer kind o’ warnin’ than the little acci- 
dent o’ yesterday, Cap'n Grafton,” his henchman grunt- 
ed meaningly, as he cinched the girths tight. 

Howard laughed. But Geronimo de Alvarado, look- 
ing from one to the other, cried with decision : 

''Sacramento ! But that leaf was placed there by one 
who meant you no good ! And had you been a poorer 
horseman, you might now be dead ! What does Senor 
Ruggles allude to, likewise, when he speaks of yester- 
day 

“Oh, a small trifle, that nevertheless might have had 
serious consequences — for me,” the adventurer rejoined, 
coolly. “Passing through the market, a priest of the In- 
ca’s called for me to stop and speak with him. I was in 
somewhat of a hurry, and as his story was tedious and 
pointless, I bade him an abrupt farewell and proceeded 
on my way. Barely had I left the place where I stood 
listening to him, when a huge stone fell from the wall 
of the nearest house and crashed down on the very spot. 
Had I remained there an instant longer, your mes- 
sages for me from Almagro had not been delivered.” 

“You have reason to think that you have enemies 
among the Indians, then?” demanded Alvarado. 

“Who knows? Why not?” Grafton shrugged his 
shoulders. “Come, Pelayo is equipped again, and the 
heat of the sun is not pleasant. My quarters in the city 
are cool enough to make me long to be there.” 

A handsome dwelling of stone, built about a beautiful 
garden and occupying nearly the whole side of a square 
in the middle of the city, had been allotted by Manco to 
his white favorite. Guards and servants were there in 
goodly numbers, and it was plain that the Inca cher- 
ished a high regard for the comfort of Grafton Howard, 
the furnishings and maintaining of the household being 
upon the most lavish scale. 

As the Englishman and De Alvarado lay side by side 


54 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Upon couches woven from osiers and covered by skins of 
wild beasts, within a room whose cool shades were re- 
freshing indeed after the sultry heat of the July sun, 
while Ruggles had gone to hasten the arrival of servants 
with drinks chilled in the icy waters of a spring that 
rose in the garden, Grafton said, abruptly : 

“Alvarado, why did Juan de Rada die?” 

The young Spaniard gave him a quick glance of ear- 
nest scrutiny, and then answered slowly : 

“Because, my friend, God created Picado and allowed 
him to marry.” 

“Your words contain a dreadful accusation, G6ron- 
imo de Alvarado,” Howard murmured, with equal de- 
liberation. “Have you proof ?” 

“None. Nevertheless, I am morally sure of what I 
have said. Santiago! Sehor Howard, you knew Juan de 
Rada. Is it likely that one such as he, old, yet more 
vigorous than many a man of half his years — rugged, 
hardened and seasoned by years of toil and adventure, 
inured to the climate of Peru, supporting heat or cold 
alike with the same indifference — is it likely, I ask you, 
that such a man should sicken and die within two days* 
of a fever?” 

“And is that your only reason for thinking as you 
do?” 

“That, and a knowledge of the breed It is bad, vin- 
dictive, and vengeful to the last extremity De Rada 
bore the credit of having brought Picado to his death. 
Had I been in his place, I would have taken special care 
to have no dealings with the secretary's child.” 

“Do others share your opinion in this matter?” the 
Englishman queried, with interest. 

“I know not, for I have spoken of it to no one but you. 
You are going back to Cuzco, and I wish you to be pre- 
pared, and not to fall under the influence of the Rose of 
Rimac. Almagro needs as many cool heads about him 
as we can muster ; for our cause looks rather desperate. 
I don’t mind confessing that to you. And when all 
should be thinking of how we can beat Vaca de Castro, 
it is maddening to see most of our leaders going daft 
about a woman — even though she be the most beautiful 
in the world.” 

“ But I had an idea that the young son of the mar- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 155 

shal was favored beyond ail others,” Grafton put in. 

“Eh, who knows? Sehorita Picado, it. is supposed, 
hath had Diego’s offer of marriage, yet she hath made 
no formal acceptance, and he comes to see her at the 
house of the Sehor Shoreham in the same way that 
others come. Since she ended her brief mourning for 
her father, the Rose of Rimac has assumed her former 
position as the adored of countless cavaliers. She has 
played a deeper game,- too, with some of them. Garcia 
de Alvarado and Cristoval de Sotelo would both be alive 
now, and firm friends as ever, were it not for that fair 
lady's whims. They both laid their hearts at her dis- 
posal, she gave each one reason to think she looked 
kindly upon his suit — bah, Sehor Howard, you have 
seen the thing yourself ! You know how bad women can 
dupe and deceive noble hearts. The seeds of jealousy 
and suspicion once sown — that is all that is needed !” 

“Their quarrel, then, was about her?” the adventurer 
asked, in a musing voice. 

“Yes, she was the cause. Diablo! but I wish Diego 
had left her at Lima ! He, of course, can see no fault in 
anything she does. Yet all her actions tend to the ruin 
of his hopes. See you, my friend, we will talk more of 
this hereafter. I have warned you sufficiently to make 
you think ; you will be ready to help the few steady 
brains among us when we got to Cuzco — and here 
comes the good Ruggles, so no more.” 

In the course of the afternoon, Howard and Roaring 
Dick completed their preparations for the return jour- 
ney to Cuzco ; for it had been agreed that they should 
set out with Alvarado on the following morning. Late 
in the day servants of the palace arrived at the English- 
man’s mansion, bearing a princely present of gold and 
jewels from their master to the envoy of Almagro. Nor 
did the Inca forget to recompense still further the serv- 
ices of his tutor in the art of war. Ingots to the value 
of ten thousand ducats composed his gift to the adven- 
turer; and even Ruggles, to whose care the treasure 
was intrusted, declared that Manco was a royal pay- 
master. 

A short time after darkness had come, upon that even- 
ing Grafton Howard quitted his house alone by a side- 
door that opened upon a narrow street running from the 


156 THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 

square to the lake. He had laid aside the garments he 
usually wore, and in their stead had donned the plumed 
helmet, surcoat of feather-work, flowing mantle of 
■vicuna wool, and complete attire of a Peruvian chief- 
tain. Seen in the night as he hurried along the street, 
no curious eye could have judged him to be other than 
a native officer bent upon some errand of duty or pleas- 
ure. Chance wayfarers of the civilian class made way 
for him with humble alacrity, while occasional loung- 
ing soldiers greeted him respectfully with the military 
salute. 

Like one who had frequently followed the same path, 
Howard rapidly strode across the city, and came out at 
last upon a small wharf built upon the lake-shore at the 
end of the street. Selecting one from among a score 
of canoes that were tied to the jetty, the Englishman 
cast her loose, seized the paddle, and urged the boat 
with powerful but warily noiseless strokes out across 
the lake. His destination was the Sacred Isle. 

He ran his bark ashore at the very place where he had 
first set foot upon that soil consecrated to the worship 
of the Sun, and upon landing made straight for the 
glade where first he had spoken to the Princess Oello. 

The sister of the Inca awaited him, welcoming the ad- 
venturer with a love-light in her beautiful eyes that 
made them shine like twin stars in the darkness. 

“You must use more precaution in your approach,’’ 
she said, with a little happy laugh, as Howard sank on- 
one knee before her and raised her hands to his lips. ‘T 
heard your paddle dip twice to-night. You are getting 
careless.” 

“Mournful thoughts may have caused me to give less 
heed to the conduct of my craft. Princess,” Grafton 
answered, as he rose and stood by her side. “My heart 
is heavy to-night, and the knowledge of what I must 
tell you filled my brain to the exclusion of all else. I 
must leave here to-morrow to rejoin Almagro.” 

“Ah!” and one little hand fluttered for a moment to 
her throat. “But you will come back,” she added 
quickly and confidently. 

“Yes, I will return, but how soon I cannot say,” he 
murmured, ruefully. “You know that my heart will be 
always here with you, wherever my body may rest.” 


niE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


157 


''I know. Mine likewise shall accompany you. I 
shall not live while you are gone, for without your pres- 
ence I am but one who walks in a dream," Oello said 
softly. 

No protest, no word of dissuasion did she attempt, to 
stay his departure. She loved, she was beloved, and 
she knew that when her warrior-lover said that he must 
go it was impossible for him to remain. Accepting the 
inevitable calmly, she wasted no tears in bewailing fate. 

“When you come back you will find me here at our 
trvsting-place, awaiting you," she continued. “I shall 
come every night, and you will not sleep once again in 
tne valley before you have seen me. 1 will sacrifice to 
the gods of my people that they may watch over you. I 
do not fear for you in battle ; you are a warrior among 
warriors ; but heed well what I say, my hero ; beware of 
a stab in the back. I am sure that my brother Paullo 
bears you no love, and he is vindictive. Therefore, take 
care.” 

Howard laughed, and briefly recounted in incident of 
the morning, as well as his escape from the rock on the 
day before. 

“Twice he has tried, it would seem," he concluded, 
“if Indeed it be Paullo Inca who has directed these at- 
tempts. Of course, my Princess, I cannot be blind to 
the fact that someone is trying to kill me. No harm 
has been done yet, however, and I bear no malice. Let 
them succeed at the third trial ! For if they fail in that, 
I shall justly consider that it is my turn.” 

“You must not allow them to kill you!” Oello cried, 
laying her hand lightly upon his shoulder. 

“Be easy. I’ve no such intention,” Grafton smiled. “I 
mean to keep a sharp lookout. Only, I shall not strike 
back until they have failed once more, as they will fail. 
I am confident. My course is not yet run, and many a 
stormy sea must I weather ere I finally come into port.” 

“You are a seer then, you can foretell the future, my 
Englishman ? ” the Princess whispered. 

“Nay, I meant not that. No prophet am I. I can 
merely see what I desire to have the vears to come bring 
forth.” 

“And what do your hopes show you, as you view the 
rest of your life by their light?” Oello murmured. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


158 

‘‘They show me Peru cleared from every Spanish 
foot, and the empire of your fathers once more estab- 
lished. They show me your brother Manco ruling the 
land with a wisdom and graciousness far surpassing 
that of any of his predecessors. They show me his 
armies, directed by the Inca and myself, bearing his ban- 
ners victorious throughout the whole of this great con- 
tinent. They show me the Inca bestowing upon me the 
hand of his sister as the reward of my services.” 

The girl sighed and smiled with happiness. “Such, 
then, is the picture you draw when alone and thinking 
of me?” she said. “Oh, I love to hear you speak thus! 
When 1 hear your voice and the pressure of your hand 
is upon mine you appear to me more glorious than the 
all-powerful Pachacamae; revered and feared by all 
Peruvians 1 And you have a noble heart, beloved one ! 
In all your dream of power and glory, you are content 
to be second? The Inca holds always with you the first 
place in the land ?” 

“Alw?^ s,Oello,” Howard replied, in accents that car- 
ried with unem conviction. “Your brother Manco is the 
rightful lord of the soil. I have eaten his bread, I have 
taken his pay, and he has been throughout my year’s 
service under him my steadfast friend. I will be true 
to him as ever was blade to hilt.” 

“Ah, the liars,” the girl cried in scorn.“Would that 
they were here to have their base suspicions thrust down 
their coward throats!” 

“They? Who? Oello, what mean you ?” the puzzled 
Grafton demanded. 

“My brother Paullo and the Villac Vmu,” she re- 
joined, angrily. “They have talked much with me of 
late, and always the thread of their converse has spun in 
your direction. They would have me believe that it is 
in your heart to so gain favor with the army that in time 
you may be able to dethrone my brother Manco and 
reign in his stead.” 

“Bah! sweetheart, never think twice upon such idle 
tales,” Howard laughed. 

“Believe them ! Not I ! My trust in you can never 
be shaken, beloved one,” solemnly answered Oello. 
Then, suddenly grasping the adventurer’s arm with both 
her little hands, she continued, eagerly : 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 159 

“And here, this very moment, you shall have proof of 
what I say. Come with me, and learn whether or not 
you hold the heart of Oello, daughter of the Incas.” 

“Come with you? Of course, my Princess; but 
whither woulc] you lead me?” Grafton smiled, as he 
walked unresisting by her side. 

“To the spot that has been the unattainable goal of 
the hopes of scores of Spanish cavaliers,” Oello said in 
a swift whisper. • “To the altar of the Sun God, where 
you shall see what no man of white blood before you has 
ever gazed upon. To signify how thoroughly I confide 
in you, my Englishman, I, princess, priestess, Virgin of 
the Sun, will to-night guide your footsteps within the 
sacred shine and bring you where your eyes may behold 
the girdle of the diety.” 

Grafton Howard stayed his footsteps. 

“Oello, your love for me needs no such confirmation,” 
he said earnestly. “What you tell me, queen of my 
soul, I believe. I am no Spaniard, greedy of gain and 
lusting after the blood of your people. The temple of 
your god I will not profane.” 

“I wish it, I tell you! Come!” she exclaimed, im- 
periously. Smilingly shrugging his shoulders, the cav- 
alier made no further resistance. 

Leaving the little glade, they passed swiftly and si- 
lently through the surrounding shrubbery into an ave- 
nue that led straight to the heart of the island, where, 
in a broad, clear space of turfy sward, the buildings 
consecrated to the religion of the Incas had been 
erected. 

No light was to be seen about those hallowed masses 
of stone ; no priest, no priestess seemed to be upon the 
watch. 

LInseen, unhindered, they crossed the plot of open 
ground and entered the shadowy portals of the central 
temple. 

“This way,” Oello murmured, taking the lead and 
drawing Howard after her. 

The Englishman made a dozen or so steps in pro- 
foundest darkness, a thick curtain was suddenly drawn 
aside by the hand of his lovely guide, and Grafton 
Howard, cool and self-possessed soldier though he was, 


l6o THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 

could hardly refrain from an exclamation of wonder- 
ment. 

They were standing in a large, square room, whose 
only light was derived from a leaping jet of flame, that 
sprang up, fitfully flickering, now high, now low, from 
a small altar placed at its farther extremity. 

The walls, the floor, the ceiling were one mass of 
beaten gold. Jewels, outlining countless cunning de- 
vices of plants, birds and beasts, were set and fixed 
throughout the whole, twinkling, blazing in the uncer- 
tain light in endless lines of delicate tracery. To the 
Englishman it seemed that a month would be too short 
a time for following out the intricate mazes of their 
sparkling designs. 

On either side of the room, along the walls, a row of 
motionless figures, superbly attired in the full insignia 
pertaining to the monarchs of Peru alone, were seated 
upon golden thrones. 

“Mummified remains of her ancestors, saved from the 
greed of the Conquistadors, and brought with great 
labor to this secure resting-place,” the princess in- 
formed the adventurer, leading him hastily past them 
until they stood before the altar. 

This last, a low cube of solid black stone, sustained 
the sacred fire kindled each year anew by the Virgins of 
the Sun at the anniversary of the feast of Raymi, and 
never suffered, throughout the twelve-month following, 
to die out. Behind the altar appeared in all its wonder 
the idol of the santuary. 

A disk of gold fully a dozen feet across, with golden 
rays spreading out in every direction, the broad expanse 
of the center fashioned into the features of a counte- 
nance benignant and majestic, surmounted the kneeling 
body stone, and of the size of an ordinary man. About 
the waist, green, red, and blue beneath the blaze of the 
consecrated flame, glowed in its wealth of emeralds, 
rubies, and turquoises of extraordinary bigness and 
beauty, the girdle of the god. 

This much Grafton Howard had time to see — no 
more. A furious cry of rage and astonishment behind 
them caused both the Englishman and his mistress to 
turn in their tracks. Within a yard of them, his wrath- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. l6l 

distorted visage glowering like that of some fiend, his 
trembling arms stretched out to them in menacing re- 
sentment, his lips even then parting in the act to call the 
guardians of the temple, appeared the Villac Vmu. 

The adventurer’s ready hand flew, swift as thought, to 
his belt. The wails of the temple rang and echoed to 
the old man’s one hideous yell, a short, heavy blade 
gleamed and hissed in the air, and the head of the high 
priest of Peru leaped from his shoulders and bounded 
along the floor, while his body pitched with a sickening 
thud at their very feet. 

“One score settled, at all events,” Grafton Howard 
said calmly, between his teeth, wiping his weapon mean- 
while upon the skirt of his cloak. 

“You were not in time ;his cry must have been heard ! 
Listen,” and as the princess spoke a babel of approach- 
ing voices sounded without the temple. 

“We must fly! Quick! No, not that way,” the girl 
cried, and motioning Howard to follow, she sprang be- 
hind the altar and passed the idol. 

Lifting up a curtain that concealed a narrow door in 
the wall, she waved her companion forward. Grafton 
obeyed and almost immediately found himself descend- 
ing a flight of stone steps. Down them the pair of fugi- 
tives hurried, while. behind them all sounds of their 
enemies were speedily lost. 

A narrow passage, with floor, ceiling, and walls of 
stone, closely cemented and like solid rock, succeeded 
to the stairway. Cold, dank, absolutely without light, 
was this avenue to safety. Oello took the lead once 
mor^, and for many moments, as it seemed to Howard, 
they ran along this murky corridor. 

At length they reached another set of stairs, and this 
time began to ascend. Oello, who seemed to see per- 
fectly well in the dark, lifted up a trap-door at the top 
and they issued into the open air. They were in the 
midst of a small thicket near the shore of the lake, upon 
the mainland, at the side where it was nearest the 
island. 

“I must return at once, beloved,” the sister of the 
Inca panted. “Fear not for me, I will manage to avert 
all suspicions. But you, my Englishman, will have a 
long and tiresome walk ere you gain the city. Fare- 


i 62 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


well, for you must set out immediately if you would re- 
gain your home before morning. Remember, I shall 
watch for your return.” 

As Howard released her from his reluctant arms, he 
murmured : 

"You shall not watch in vain.” 


CHAPTER XVI. 

THERE IS ANOTHER.” 

Diego de Almagro hailed the arrival of Grafton 
Howard at Cuzco with the greatest satisfaction. De- 
prived of those upon whom he had been accustomed to 
rely for advice, compelled to accomplish by his own ef- 
forts that which had formerly been left to others, the 
young chieftain had found the cares of the government 
to far outweigh the delights of power. The presence 
at his side of a warrior so experienced as the English- 
man greatly lightened his burden. 

Grafton, for his part, was delighted to discover that 
the son of the old Conquistador had greatly improved 
under the trying situations to which during the past 
months he had been constantly subjected. The indeci- 
sion of youth had been almost totally obliterated from 
Diego’s character, his manner and actions gave promise 
that with a few years more of experience he would de- 
velop into a ruler equal in wisdom and ability to any 
who had ever swayed in the new world the power de- 
rived from the Emperor Charles V. 

Preparations were steadfastly going forward for tak- 
ing the field against the Viceroy Vaca de Castro. An 
embassy had been sent to this officer by the young Al- 
magro, but no reply had been returned. To all ap- 
pearances the question as to who should rule in Peru 
was to be left to the sword. 

Small in comparison with the armies of Europe as 
was the force that the Almagrians had been able to 
gather, it none the less needed their utmost 
efforts to equip and place it in a condition to 
fight. Days and weeks flew by with wonderful rapid- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


163 


ity, and midsummer had come almost before Howard 
cuuld realize that he was again living in daily associa- 
tion with men and women of his own color and habits 
of thought. 

1 he Sehor Shoreham had taken possession of a com- 
fortable villa, erected upon the remains of the palace of 
some Peruvian magnate after the burning of Cuzco by 
a partisan of Pizarro, who had fled the city upon the ap- 
pearance of the vanguard of the Men of Chile. Upon 
Howard’s returning with Geronimo de Alvarado, the 
old captain insisted that his countrymen should take up 
their quarters with him ; to which the cavalier gladly 
consented, and with Ruggles installed himself at the 
Shoreham mansion. He was not long in finding that it 
was the most popular house in the city with both young 
and old ; for the presence of two such beauties as Isabel 
Shoreham and the Rose of Rimac drew numberless 
sighing swains thither, while the hearty and hospitable 
manners of the old Englishman proved no less attract- 
ive to their elders among the officers of Almagro. Graf- 
ton Howard, however, had but little leisure to devote to 
either conviviality or flirtation. The affairs of the ap- 
proaching campaign occupied most of his waking mo- 
ments. 

It was a bright August morning and the sun was but 
a few hours high in the heavens. Within a leafy arbor 
at the end of the garden that filled the inner court of the 
“Casa Shoreham/' Rosa Picado and Isabel were seated 
side b}’ side, lazily chatting and whiling away the first 
hours of the day until the appearance of expected visit- 
ors should give them more pleasant occupation. Both 
were clad in light, summer garments, made possible by 
the weather, and their strongly contrasting types most 
effectively brought out the charms of each, presenting 
to the eye a pair of maidens than whom ho lovelier twain 
ever sought shelter from the rays of the sun in all this 
western hemisphere. 

“Heigho !” Rosa sighed gently at the end of a silence 
of some moments, during which each fair one had 
seemed absorbed in her own reflections, “ you are dull 
this morning, my Isabel, and I fear I am in no better 
case myself. I had hoped that by this hour some of 
our friends would appear to enliven us; but it seems' 
they have other business to occupy them, eh 


164 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“The greater part of them must be engaged in looking 
to their horses and armor, I suppose,” Isabel returned, 
quietly. “You know that the army will march to-mor- 
row or next day ?” 

“To-morrow ! Isabel, you are dreaming ! Where 
got you such an idea ?” Rosa cried with a peal of laugh- 
ter. 

“ Nay, ’tis no dream, and indeed I thought you must 
know, or I would not have spoken of it. My father 
told me last night, and I imagined Diego de Almagro 
had been equally communicative with you,” said Isabel. 
“You will say nothing about it to anyone?” she added. 

“No, Diego did not tell me,” muttered the Rose, her 
white teeth closing just a trifle on her lower lip. “Cer- 
tainly I shall not tell, since you ask it. I presume Al- 
magro’s reticence is some of the Senor Howard’s doing. 
Your countryman doesn’t like me, Isabel.” 

“And why should you think that? You must be 
wrong ; indeed, he always speaks most kindly of you to 
me,” Isabel protested. 

“ Bah ! as if I cared what he thinks of me ! And as 
for speaking well of me to you — how •many chances 
has he had to do so of late, my Isabel? I have not no- 
ticed that the Senor Howard has had more than a ‘hue- 
nas dias for either you or myself this long while past,” 
sneered the Rose of Rimac. 

Isabel colored, but she answered stoutly, “He has’ so 
much to occupy him that he is working from morning 
until night. You cannot expect that one who is engaged 
in the serious work that engrosses him can spend his 
hours with frivolous creatures such as we are.” 

“He is diflferent from all the others, then. How 
would i^ suit you, Isabel, to see the handsome Geroni- 
mo de Alvarado so devoted to the mounting of cannon 
and the scouring of old swords and fences that he could 
not spare a glance for your qwn lovely eyes?” Rosa 
Picado laughed maliciously. 

“When it comes to speaking of cannon, I am well 
aware that the old Pedro de Candia doesn’t devote all 
the hours to supervising their construction that he’s sup- 
posed to give,” Isabel retorted in meaning tones. “Fie ! 
Rosa, the man is aged enough to be your grandfather ! ” 

“Pedro de Candia ! who told you — well, yes, I confess 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


165 

that I have seen him when no one was desired to know 
it. But then I had my reasons — I mean it was such 
good fun to hear the old fellow make love that I couldn’t 
help indulging him, Isabel. Don’t tell of me, please, 
dear one ; for they would laugh and I’d have no peace, 
especially if your father knew of it,” pouted the Rose of 
Rimac entreatingly. 

‘‘Oh, I’ll say nothing. But Rosa, please don’t play 
with the old man any longer. It is cruel, believe me, 
though, of course, you mean no harm. An old man 
feels a wound in the affections far more deeply than does 
a young one.” 

“Ha, ha ! A wound in the affections ! To hear you, 
Isabel, one would really imagine that you credited the 
existence of a heart to wound in the tough old Pedro de 
Candia. Never believe it, dearest ; whatever of soul he 
once had has been bartered long ago for greed of gold 
and lust of conquest. Love ! He is too much the ad- 
venturer for that!” laughed Rosa Picado. 

- “No one could be so hardened as to be insensible to 
such charms as yours, Rosa,” Isabel said, fondly. “ You 
yourself well know that old and young alike lay their 
hearts at your feet.” 

“Flatterer ! As if you had not your share of the hom- 
age these cavaliers of Cuzco dispense so lavishly,” re- 
joined the Rose of Rimac. “We shall not quarrel about 
it, Isabel, there are enough for both of us. But the 
Sehor Howard’s conduct puzzles me, I must confess. 
Since his coming among us he has been graver than he 
was before he left to join the Inca. I hope no Indian 
sorcerer has cast a spell upon him.” 

“Holy Virgin ! You can not really suppose that such 
a thing has happened, Rosa?” Isabel cried in some 
alarm. The period was one rife with superstitious be- 
liefs and fancies. 

“Who knows? They say all sorts of devils dwell 
among the mountains, and are at the command of the 
Peruvian priests. Or it may be that Sehor Howard has 
managed to view the girdle of the Sun God. The na- 
tives say that a sight of it would forever cast a malign 
influence upon the life of a white man.” 

“ Nay, I To not put faith in any of your suppositions.” 
Isabel rejoined, her natural good sense asserting itself. 


i66 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ Not all the attendant demons of the Inca priests, not 
a continual contemplation of their sacred belt, could 
affect the mind of a man like Grafton Howard.” 

“ He may be in love, then,” Rosa smiled, carelessly. 
■■ Though in truth,” she added, “ he assuredly takes a 
strange method of showing it.” 

'* VVhat mean you? I do not understand,” Isabel 
murmured, looking down at the ground, while hot 
blushes came and went upon her half-averted cheek. 

“ Why, we two, you and myself, are certainly the 
most likely persons to whom the adoration of Sehor 
Howard could be offered. He sees more of us than he 
does of anyone except his tiresome soldiers, for we sit 
three times a day at the same table. And yet he gives 
but little of his time to either, and that mosi; grudgingly. 
But perhaps such is the custom of the English. En- 
lighten me, Isabel, for, as you are the only woman, so 
Sehor Howard ts the only man of your nation that I 
have ever known. Tell me, are all Englishmen so cold 
and distant as this one? Can not your countrymen 
make gallant speeches to ladies fair ? ” 

” My countrymen have nothing to learn from yours, 
Rosa, either in the arts of courtesy or warfare,” Isabel 
rejoined, warmly. “In love or war, the men of the 
Saxon blood need never fear comparison with the Span- 
iard.” 

” No? Ha! ha! how furiously a score of caballcros 
that I know would dispute that point, Isabel,” the Rose 
of Rimac laughed. “ Pray keep your opinions for no 
ears but mine. For if the gentlemen of Almagro’s party 
here heard such ideas advanced, I fear they would fain 
make proof of them upon the body of Sehor Howard. 
And that would not be pleasant.” 

“For your countrymen? Yes. I think they would 
have a very uncomfortable time of it,” answered Isabel, 
carelessly. 

“ You have confidence enough in yours at any rate,” 
muttered Rosa Picado. Then raising her voice she 
cried delightedly, “ See, here comes one who is not 
backward in either of the two sciences we were disput- 
ing about, the noble Geronimo de Alvarado. Let me 
remain for a few moments to hear the news of the morn- 
ing, Isabel, and then I will be good and vanish. You 
do not mind mv staying? ” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. . 1 67 

“ Nonsense, Rosa, of course yon are welcome to 
stay.” 

And both of the maidens, rising, performed deep rev- 
erences, after the fashion of the time, as Geronimo de 
Alvarado stepped inside the arbor and swept the plume 
of his velvet bonnet on the ground before them. 

The young Spanish cavalier was bravely attired in 
doublet of amber-colored satin, with hose of the same 
shade ;his shoes, trunk breeches, and the puffs and pink- 
ing of his doublet of a rich seal-brown velvet. Arrayed 
in these colors, his striking brunette beauty — for he 
•was really a very handsome man — showed to the best 
advantage. 

Several gold' chains about his neck, a huge clasp 
of the same metal securing the plume in his hat, a 
golden-hilted rapier and poniard sparkling with jewels, 
all betokened that the fortunes of the cavalier had risen 
immeasurably higher than they were at the time when 
he had watched from Almagro’s windows the signals 
of the unfortunate Huerfano. 

” A fair good morning to. the most beautiful flowers 
that bloom in Cuzco,” he said, gallantly, waiting until 
the ladies had resumed their seats, and then placing 
himself as near Isabel as he could contrive. “ May I 
hope that my coming has not disturbed you in converse 
upon matters of sefious import ? ” 

“ Nay, you are heartily welcome, I can assure you, 
Senor Alvarado,” smiled Rosa Picado, with her most 
bewitching expression. ” Neither Isabel nor myself 
have an idea in our heads this morning, and we were 
just wondering where all of our friends could have 
betaken themselves. No one save yourself has yet 
seen .fit to honor the Casa Shoreham by a visit to-day.” 

“ I fear that I am a trifle early,” Geronimo laughed, 
like one well content with the situation ; ” but I must 
plead as my excuse the commands of our chief. Diego 
de Almagro has sent me hither, senoritas, and, as a good 
soldier and loyal adherent of the governor, I have lost 
no time in carrying out his orders.” 

“ So you are upon duty, after all, tireless soldier 
that you are,” the Rose of Rimac returned merrily. 
” What can be the occasion that calls for so much 
ceremony on the part of our friend Diego? I am 
dying to hear all about it; aren’t you, Isabel? ” 


i68 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ Assuredly I shall be glad to learn the mission of 
the Sehor Alvarado,” Isabel assented. 

“ And he will not keep you in suspense, sehoritas,” 
Alvarado hastened to say. “ Almagro bade me come 
hither with the news that to-night he will entertain 
certain of his friends at Yucay, the ancient pleasure 
palace of the Incas, and begs that you will graciously 
consent to be of the company. He has spoken before- 
hand of the affair to both your father and the Sehor 
Howard, Sehorita Isabel, and they have been pleased 
to approve of his intention.” 

“ If my father wish it, of course I shall willingly 
go to Yucay,” Isabel began, but Rosa Picado inter- 
rupted, saying eagerly : 

“ Go. Of a surety we shall both be very glad of a 
little gayety ! Festas have been scarce enough of late 
at Cuzco, and not for worlds would we miss any chance 
for amusement. Will there be dancing, Sehor Alva- 
rado ? ” 

“ I think I may safely assure you that Terpsichore 
will not be neglected,” the cavalier nodded gravely. 
“ The flower of our hidalgos will be there, and you 
will not lack partners, sehoritas. Perchance, too, one 
or both of you may find great favor in the eyes of the 
honored guest of the evening, who, they tell me, is no 
mean judge of a beautiful woman.” 

“ Indeed ! And who can he be then, this knight 
expert in feminine charms, whose scrutiny we have 
to dread ? ” the Rose of Rimac cried lightly. 

“You would never guess, so I had better tell you 
at once. Sehoritas, prepare to be astonished. What 
would you say were I to inform you that the viceroy 
‘?o-called, Vaca de Castro himself, had hurried hither 
in secret, had an interview with Diego, consented to 
amicably adjust all difficulties, and agreed to seal the 
unexpected peace by dancing to-night in the gardens 
of Yucay?” 

“ I should not believe you,” Isabel said, smiling 
quietly. 

“ And, Sehorita, you would not be wrong. Such 
a statement zvere too incredible for belief. But the 
truth is nearly as astonishing.” 

“ Astonish us, then. We are impatient to be thunder- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


169 


Struck by your news,” cried Rosa Picado. “ Come, 
do not tantalize, Seiior Alvarado, be generous. Can’t 
you see that we are dying of curiosity? ” 

” From so dreadful a fate I hasten to preserve you, 
sehoritas. Know then that the Inca of the Peruvians, 
the royal Manco himself, will this night be entertained 
by Almagro in the gardens where once the kings of 
hi§ race passed their most joyous moments,” Alvarado 
said, noting with keen delight the effect of his words 
upon his attentive listeners. 

Isabel’s eyes were bright with interest, and she 
answered the young Spaniard’s look by saying: 

” I have heard something of the Inca from the 
Sehor Howard, and I shall be delighted to find out 
how near to his description the real man ap- 
proaches ” 

But the Rose of Rimac, who had received the name 
of the expected guest with far more emotion than her 
friend had displayed, broke in upon her speech, bab- 
bling excitedly : 

“ The Inca ! really the Inca in person ! Ah, Senor 
Alvarado, you are not jesting with us, I trust! To 
think of it ! The Inca I And we, who have heard all 
sorts of dreadful tales of this mysterious king, will 
have a chance to see him and talk with him ! Ah, I am 
so glad ! I know what I shall ask him. And if ever 
woman obtained secret, be sure that I shall have this 
one I ” 

“ And what is that, Senorita ? ” Geronimo queried, 
with a vague glance of distrust at the beautiful face that 
was now so flushed and eager. 

Rosa Picado laughed and shook her head. “ As 
if I would tell -that 1 ” she cried, with a merry peal 
of laughter. “ I am popular enough now, as it is ; but 
should the Caballeros of Cuzco get an inkling of my 
purpose in questioning the Inca, and suppose afterward 
that I had succeeded — eh, Isabel, your good father 
would have to lock his doors against them, I can 
tell you. The population of the town, aye, of all Peru, 
would flock to me, and I should have little peace or 
rest. No, no. I’ll keep my thought about what I shall 
say to the Inca to myself. You will excuse my leaving 
you now, Senor Alvarado — ” rising and preparing to 


173 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


leave the arbor — “ I have affairs with Dolores that 
are now become of the greatest importance. The sov- 
ereign of the Peruvians shall not complain that my 
toilette does him no honor. Isabel, I am sure, will 
gladly remain and entertain you — and I know you 
will not think badly of me for leaving you with her.” 

Throwing a laughing glance full of mockery over 
her shoulder at both in turn, she left the arbor and 
hastened into the house, calling for her maid as she 
entered the cool corridor of the lower floor. 

“ Rosa is light-hearted and free from guile as a 
child,” Isabel murmured, though the 'color had risen 
to her cheeks at the speech of their late companion. 
“ You must not mind her words, Sehor Alvarado, they 
were thoughtlessly uttered, I am sure.” 

“Mind them! Nay, Sehorita Isabel, the Rose of 
Rimac has no power to wound me. Certain of our 
cavaliers might be vexed to think that thoughts of her 
dress and appearance could fill her brain while they 
were present, but I am not of that number,” protested 
Geronimo, eagerly. 

“ Then you are an exceptionally callous-hearted 
gentleman,” Isabel declared, with a merry little laugh. 
“ To me it is no wonder that nearly all of the cavaliers 
in Peru are wild over Rosa. I think her the most 
beautiful woman I have ever seen.” 

“ Men who really deserve the name should look for 
other things than beauty in the women to whom they 
would proffer the devotion of their hearts, Senorita 
Isabel,” remarked Alvarado, in dry tones of* convic- 
tion. 

“Yes? Put how few of them do. You yourself, 
Senor Alvarado, are you thoroughly aware of the at- 
tributes you would have the woman you could love 
possess?” mocked Isabel. 

“ Perfectly well informed, Senorita, and if you wish 
I can tell you on the instant the character of the lady 
to whom I would offer my homage,” calmly rejoined 
Geronimo. 

“ Of course I wish it. Pray proceed, Senor. I am 
all attention,” smiled the fair English girl. 

“ In the first place, Senorita Isabel, the woman I 
could love must have an honest heart. She must dis- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 171 

dain falsehood, and be by her entire nature incapable 
of deception. She must be just of mind, charitable to 
the shortcomings of others, ever inclined to say of 
them the kind in preference to the unkind word. She 
must have a noble spirit, far above the petty thoughts 
and jealousies that, alas, are but too apt to form a 
great part of the characters of both men and women. 
She must be brave, without a drop of cowardly blood 
in her veins ; a fit wife for one who will always be a 
soldier. To sum up all, she must have in her the power 
to love — to love in the fullest sense that too often mis- 
applied word can carry with it. She must be able to 
love, to love confidingly, unchangeably, eternally. 
Such, Senorita Isabel, is the woman to whom my heart 
is unalterably pledged,” concluded Geronimo, in a 
voice that trembled with the fervor of his whole being. 

” You have found her then? ” Isabel said, positively. 
“ No dream is this ideal of yours, for no one but a true 
lover could look and speak as you do.” 

“ Yes, Isabel, I have found her.” The young Span- 
iard’s words were swift and passionate. ” No idle 
creation of the fancy is the adored being whose charac- 
ter my poor endeavors have so faintly pictured. From 
the very first moment when I beheld you as we entered 
the house of your father, yonder among the mountains, 
I have loved you — loved you with all the strength of 
my heart — Ipved you ” 

But Isabel had started to her feet, her face pale as 
death, her hand tremblingly outstretched to stay his 
further utterance. 

“ Hush, hush, Senor Alvarado ! ” she cried, in broken 
accents. “ I can not hear you, I must not listen to 
such words as these ! Wretched, miserable girl that I 
am ! I had no idea that I was leading you on to this 
avowal. . Indeed, indeed, Senor, I did not suspect that 
you cared for me.” 

Geronimo, doubt and amazement agitating his coun- 
tenance, had likewise risen. 

“ But, Isabel,” he expostulated, “ I am in earnest. 
Surely, though you had no thought of such an emo- 
tion on my part, now that you know, you can listen 
to my love. Let me go on — let me pour out the dear- 
est wishes of my heart ” 


172 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ No, no, you must not ! I tell you that I can not 
listen ! ” the girl protested, feverishly. “ It is all a 
mistake on your part, Senor Alvarado. Forgive me 
if any act of mine has given you hope. But be assured 
that love between you and me is impossible.” 

” Impossible ! Ah, there is another, then, whom 
you favor more highly than you do me ? ” Geronimo 
exclaimed, with the quick jealousy of his race. 

“ You have no right to ask me such a question, 
Senor,” she rejoined, her eyes, that had been full of 
trouble a moment since, now flashing with the pride 
of a woman upon her guard and sure of herself. 

A terrible convulsion of repressed emotions agitated 
the features of Geronimo de Alvarado. Then, grow- 
ing of a sudden calm and noble in expression, he said, 
in a gentle voice : 

“ Your pardon, Isabel, I was in the wrong! Twas 
no idle curiosity, believe me, that made me wish to 
know if another were preferred before me.” 

“ No, you wished to know his name that you might 
measure your sword with his,” the girl flashed swiftly 
back at him. “ Be not too eager, Senor Alvarado, per- 
haps if there be another his blade may be stronger than 
yours.” 

“ Do you know me, then, so little, Isabel? ” he asked, 
mournfully. “ I had hoped that you had read me bet- 
ter. Loving you, hopelessly as I now see, I could never 
harm the man who has your heart. To him I would 
endeavor to be a friend, stanch and trustworthy, a 
comrade who would never fail him. Because of my 
love for you I would do all in my power for the wel- 
fare of the man you honor above all others.” 

Isabel gave him one swift, steady look. 

“ Yes,” she said, “ there is another.” 


CHAPTER XVH. 

“ YOU WOULD NOT SAVE MY FATHER! ” 

“ Isabel ! ” the hearty tones of old Captain Shore- 
ham came ringing at that moment through the garden. 
“ Isabel, I say, where are ” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


173 


And presently that ancient warrior, accompanied by 
Grafton Howard, entered the arbor. 

“Ah, you are still here, than, my boy?” he cried, 
as he came forward, laying his hand kindly on Geron- 
imo’s shoulder. “ You will pardon me if I send this 
pretty lass of mine to her room at once, with orders 
to make ready for the road and to pack up all the 
finery she will need for Almagro’s entertainment to- 
night We shall start for Yucay as soon as we have 
finished our noonday meal, Isabel, for if is no light 
matter that the bearers of your litters will have in hand, 
to cover four leagues in such weather. Bid Mara- 
quita, your tiring-woman, attend you with the apparel 
you desire. We shall pass the night as guests of Diego 
and return to-morrow morning. Away with you.” 
Then, turning to Alvarado while Isabel slipped away 
with a hasty “ adios ! ” the veteran Englishman con- 
tinued, jovially : “ And, as for you, my boy, come in 
and have a drink with Howard and me. Lasses are 
all very well, but when it comes .to downright solid 
enjoyment, they’re not to be mentioned in the same 
breath with glasses — eh, Grafton, lad? ” he concluded, 
turning toward Howard, and uttering his last sentence 
in English. 

But Geronimo de Alvarado was in no mood for wine- 
bibbing. With a muttered “ I beg your indulgence, 
Caballeros, there are affairs to which I must attend,” 
he stepped past them and hurried from the house. 

“ Took aboard too heavy a cargo last night, I sup- 
pose,” grunted old Shoreham, pityingly. “ Come, 
Howard, we two are more seasoned vessels.” And 
the two Englishmen together sought the private apart- 
ments of the master of the house. 

A few moments after one o’clock in the afternoon, 
Isabel Shoreham and Rosa Picado, accompanied by 
their maids, entered their respective litters, each borne 
by a dozen sturdy Peruvian servants. Grafton How- 
ard, Captain Shoreham, and Roaring Dick Ruggles 
attended them upon horseback, while behind the cava- 
liers native grooms led several stout mules laden with 
the baggage of their masters and mistresses. . 

Owing to the heat of the weather the journey to the 
vale of Yucay was made at a slow pace, and the day 


174 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


was far spent when they at last dismounted before 
the portals of what had been in the reign of the un- 
fortunate Atahuallpa the darling residence of that 
monarch. 

The guests were shown at once to the apartments 
prepared for them, where baths and suitable refresh- 
ment speedily banished all remembrance of the dis- 
comforts of the road. The last roseate reflections of 
the setting sun were fast vanishing from the sky when 
they at length left the palace, and, under the guidance 
of an official detailed for that, purpose, made their way 
to that part of the great gardens, spreading on every 
side of the buildings, where the master of the feast 
had taken his stand to receive those whom he had 
invited. 

The spot for Almagro’s banquet was admirably 
chosen. Upon the level summit of an artificial mound, 
raised high enough above the surrounding land to 
command an extensive view of the beautiful groves, 
and magnificent gardens seamed with silvery rivulets 
and dotted with sparkling fountains, a long table, capa- 
ble of seating above fifty guests, had been placed, its 
snowy cloth nearly concealed by a wealth of plate that 
had formerly graced the board of Francisco Pizarro. 
A fringed canopy of vicuna cloth, scarlet and white 
in color, and supported by long poles driven firmly 
into the sod, extended over the whole length of the 
table, protecting the feasters from the dews of the 
evening. The sides of this tent were uncovered, giv- 
ing free admission to the gentle breeze that had arisen 
with the going down of the sun. 

Surrounded by a gallantly appareled assemblage, 
including his favorite officers and many cavaliers and 
ladies of the city of Cuzco, the young chief of the 
Men of Chile received his guests before the canopy. 
The Inca Manco, his stately figure a blaze of gold and 
jewels, stood at Almagro’s right, being presented to 
each newcomer in turn. Several Inca nobles, attend- 
ing the person of their sovereign, mingled with the 
Spaniards, objects at once of courtesy and curiosity. 

The arrival of the Shoreham party served to com- 
plete the list of those expected, and Almagro presently 
gave his arm to Rosa Picado, conducting her to a seat 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 175 

at his own right at the end of the board. To the left 
ot mem the inca ivianco and Isabel Shoreham were 
assigned places. Grafton Howard, conducting the 
wife of the alcalde of Cuzco, found himself opposite 
the king of the Peruvians. 

As the Rose of Rimac’s eyes first rested on the face 
of the Inca, the Englishman noted that she started and 
restrained an exclamation of surprise. Throughout 
the duration of the banquet, whicn was long, Howard 
ever and again remarked that the lady was agitated 
and excited, turning a listless ear to the words of 
Diego de Almagro, and constantly stealing swift 
glances, half frightened, half fascinated, at the impas- 
sive countenace of Manco, who, on his part, appeared 
oblivious of her existence, devoting himself with 
marked courtesy to conversation with Isabel. 

Long ere the feasters rose from the table black night 
had fallen ; but a profusion of lamps and lanterns illu- 
minated the grounds, tracing the lines of the paths 
with their sparkling lights, marking in clusters the 
bridges that spanned the streams, and turning to gold 
the limpid waters of the leaping fountains. Musicians, 
both Spanish and native, had been brought from Cuzco, 
and the sensuous, dreamy strains of their instruments, 
inviting to the dance, now rose upon the warm and 
odorous air of the tropics. 

While some of the cavaliers hastened to lead their 
fair partners out to the worship of Terpsichore upon 
the close-cut, velvety grass, other couples sauntered 
slowly about the walks of the gardens, content with 
the pleasures of conversation. 

“ You have been giving all your attention to Isabel 
and have not vouchsafed a single word to me,” the 
Rose of Rimac smiled to the Inca, as the party left the 
tent. “ I think it very unkind of you, as there are 
countless questions that I am dying to ask you. Far 
better than any other here you should know the won- 
ders of these beautiful gardens. Will you not show 
them to me? ” 

Manco bowed his assent in the Spanish fashion, and, 
leaving their companions, they moved away together, 
the lady answeri’^'T the pnnoA^ed frown of Diego de 
Almagro by a look of laughing reproof. 


176 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


They descended the hillock and entered a wide and 
well-kept walk that wound between thickets laden with 
clustering, sweet-scented flowers, Rosa Picado prat- 
tling continuously as they walked of the glories of the 
night, her companion answering in grave monosylla- 
bles. 

Their way presently led across a bridge that 
stretched above a stream of rushing water, fully fifty 
feet wide from bank to bank. Strings of lanterns, sus- 
pended from posts attached to the railings on both 
sides, completely illuminated the whole of the struc- 
ture. 

Half way over, the Rose of Rimac paused, saying 
in her most alluring manner : “ Let us stop here for a 
moment, and watch the water. See,” stepping to the 
side rail and resting her elbows upon its smooth sur- 
face, “ is it not beautiful, the effect of the light upon 
the waves and ripples?” 

“ Beautiful indeed, Senorita” the deep tones of the 
Inca assented. 

Rosa Picado turned her head swiftly and looked 
direct in Manco’s eyes. “ You have been long absent, 
Huayna,” she said, in a voice raised scarce above a 
whisper. ‘‘ Tell me, why did you leave me? ” 

If the Inca were surprised, no movement on his part 
betrayed the fact. 

“You have recognized me, then, mistress mine?” 
he asked, with an amused smile. “ Your eyes are 
better than those of your countrymen. Fully a dozen 
of the cavaliers who are here to-night have seen me 
in your livery; but they fail to discover the servant 
beneath the garb of the monarch. Even the Senor 
Howard, sharp-eyed though he be, has no suspicion.” 

“ I knew you the moment I laid eyes upon you out- 
side the tent,” she replied. “ Surprise and bewilder- 
ment are feeble names for my sensations at the mo- 
ment. Throughout the whole time since I have been 
consuming with curiosity. Now that we are alone you 
must satisfy it. Tell me at once how it comes that I 
find a servant of my father posing before my country- 
men as the lord of the Peruvians ? ” 

“ Perhaps it would be better for me to explain how 
^he lord of the Peruvians chose to assume for a time 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 177 

the station of servant to the secretary of Pizarro,” 
Manco said, in tones faintly tinged with haughtiness. 

“ You are the Inca, then? ” the Rose of Rimac whis- 
pered, uncertainly. 

“ The Children of the Sun own me for their, mon- 
arch, Sehorita,” he answered, calmly. 

“ But how, then?— Why did you?— Qh! I do. not 
understand at all ! Explain ! ” the girl stammered, 
timidly laying one hand upon the bronzed, bare arm 
of the Indian. 

Her touch seemed to thrill the whole being of 
the man at her side. His powerful left hand closed 
upon her own as it rested on his right arm, and held it 
tight, while his eyes, as he began to speak, burned like 
those.of a mountain panther. 

“ You shall not be long in ignorance of the facts, 
Sehorita,” he said, swiftly. “ A few words from me 
will serve to make all plain. I am, as you know, the 
. wandering prince of a conquered people. At times 
in my ever-changing life I have been closely hunted 
by your countrymen. Two years ago, being hard 
pressed and unwilling, for reasons of my own, to seek 
at once the safety of the mountains, I hit upon the de- 
vice of attiring myself as a common laborer and going 
boldly into Ciudad de los Reyes. I could not have 
adopted a better plan for concealment. In the capital 
of Pizarro the poor Indian peasant was as safe as the 
Inca in the midst of his armies. For a week I re- 
mained there unmolested and gathered much informa- 
tion of value. I was about to depart and rejoin my 
warriors when I saw upon the Plaza a sight that 
changed the whole tenor of my life.” 

“ And what was that? ” Rosa murmured, as Manco 
paused. 

“ The most beautiful woman my eyes had ever rested 
upop,” was the passionate reply. “ You were pro- 
ceeding, .to .some fest^a, given at the governor’^, palace, 
Sehorita, and the people who thronged the square 
hailed the passing of your litter with acclamations. 
From their talk I learned that you were the child^ of 
Pizarro’s most trusted o^cer. I did not leave the city. 
On the r^^'t chy I sought vour father and asked for a 
pest ill his household. You came into the hall as 


178 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


he was about to refuse my request, and never shall 
1 forget how the radiance of your beauty seemed to 
make bright those gloomy walls. Something in my 
appearance caught your fancy, you declared that just 
such a courier as 1 was needed to run before your 
litter. Your father could refuse you nothing. I had 
the place I coveted on the instant. You were kind, 
allowing me at will to visit my own relations with- 
out the city. You will recall that I constantly availed 
myself of this permission. To keep my presence in 
Ciudad de los Reyes a secret from mine own people 
was not difficult. My brother Paullo saw to that, and 
through him 1 governed my subjects. Dwelling, as 1 
did, in the house of the secretary, not a few of the 
governor’s plans were known to me almost as soon as 
they were conceived. Ah, I learned many a secret of 
the Spaniards while in your service, my mistress!" 
Manco laughed with unmistakable pleasure at the 
recollection. 

“ And it was for that, then, you took my father’s 
wages, to play the spy ! ” Rosa cried, disdainfully. 

“ A glance at my attire may show you how greatly 
I needed the hire of the Sehor Picado, my mistress," 
the Inca returned, smiling ironically. 

The’ girl’s eyes flashed swiftly over the costly orna- 
ments that glittered upon his mighty form, noting the 
magnificent jeweled collar that lay across the swelling 
chest, the splendid gems set in the bracelets banding 
the sinewy arms, the priceless girdle about his waist — 
and in those beautous azure orbs a glow of greed and 
avarice began to flame. 

“ Ah, yes,” she sighed, “ you could not have cared 
for the pay, Huayna — you, with such gems as those 1 
You are a king, and you have great wealth ; is it not 
so? ” 

" Enough at least to duplicate the booty your coun- 
trymen obtained when they ransomed Atahuallpa,”' he 
said, not at all boastfully, but simply as one stating a 
fact. 

" And then, besides, you have the greatest treasure 
of your people, the belt no Spaniard has ever succeeded 
in finding — the sacred girdle of the god you worship," 
Rosa continued, eagerly. “ Tell me, Huayna, are they 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


179 


true, the stories that are related of its glories ? Is there 
really such a thing in existence? or are the tales but 
lies, circulated by credulous searchers after wealth ? ” 

“ What you have heard is the truth, Sehorita ; the 
belt exists,” Manco answered, coldly. 

“ And you have seen it? You know where it is? ” 
the girl’s voice shook with her emotions. 

“ The Inca of Peru knows all that pertains to his 
people,” the monarch returned. 

” A-h-h ! ” — her sigh was deeply drawn — “ what a 
pleasure it would be to gaze upon it! Huayna — you 
see I can not help giving you your old name, the name 
I knew you by for months ” 

“ I am Huayna to you, now, as then, my mistress,” 
he interrupted, swiftly. 

“ And I shall still call you so, then. Huayna, why 
did you choose to serve my father ? ” The question 
was put in a voice scarce above a whisper — timid, 
hesitating, alluringly sweet in its dangerous fascina- 
tion. 

Why did I serve Picado ? Not for the hire, mis- 
tress mine, nor yet for the secrets of Pizarro. Them 
I took as they fell in my way, but I went to slight 
trouble to learn them. I continued of your father’s 
household, Senorita, because I wished to be near you, 
to see you, to listen to your voice, to mark the light 
in your eyes, the laughter on your lips. I stayed be- 
cause you are to me the most beautiful thing in the 
world ; because my heart so delighted in you that I 
could not bring myself to finally leave your presence. 
I was your servant, I am still your servant. Rose of 
Rimac, because with all the strength of my being I 
love you.” 

You love me! You, Huayna! ” Rosa Picado cried 
faintly, as if the declaration were scarce to be cred- 
ited. 

“ Aye, mistress mine, I love you. What is there 
strange in that fact? Listen, hear what I have to say. 
You love wealth, luxurious apparel, costly jewels. In 
my palace, yonder among the crags of the Andes, there 
are rooms upon rooms filled with our native fabrics 
that shall be yours if you will but take them". I can 
cover you afresh from head to foot with precious 


i8o 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


stones for each succeeding day of the year. Power is 
dear to you, I know. Though your people think me a 
monarch without a throne, I still count my warriors 
by thousands ; and should my plans for the future suc- 
ceed, as they seem indeed now like to be triumphant. 
I will be able to give you a kingdom greater than any 
ruled by my ancestors. Come with me, Sehorita ; come 
and be queen over the Children of the Sun. You will 
never regret the going,” Manco urged, his tones vi- 
brating with passion. 

“Your plans for the future?” Rosa Picado said, 
musingly, her hand gently pressing the strong fingers 
that held it fast. “ They look to the recovery of all 
Peru, I suppose? Tell me them Huayna, what are 
they?” 

“ The wife of Manco Inca shall know his whole 
mind — but you have not promised. Will you come, 
Sehorita? ” the Peruvian repeated. 

“ I think I can guess at a part of them,” she re- 
sumed, without answering his entreaty. “ In the new 
Peru you dream of my people have no place, I am 
confident. You do not want the Spaniards in your 
kingdom, do you, HTuayna? ” 

“ Think you that they would be docile subjects under 
my scepter, Sehorita ? ” the Inca smiled, in grim sar- 
casm. 

‘‘ Nay, they would never obey you, and you know it. 
You must exterminate them, then, and to that end you 
help Diego de Amagro to maintain civil war against the 
royal governor ; is it not so ? ” 

“ Did you learn statecraft from your father, my mis- 
tress ? ” he queried, with amusement. 

“ Do not laugh at me, Huayna, I am in earnest. The 
destruction of my countrymen is inevitable if you are 
to rule all Peru. Answer me now, and answer me truly. 
I swear that I will hold your confidence sacred. In 
the battle that must soon be fought your troops will 
aid Almagro. But — Huayna, do' you really care who 
wins? Will not your ultimate actions be the same 
whoever turns out conqueror, Vaca de Castro or the 
son of the marshal who beat you at Yucay?” So 
earnest were her repressed accents that the words fair- 
ly hissed upon her lovely lips. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. l8l 

‘‘ Both are Spaniards,” the Inca said, briefly. 

” And as such must in the end be your enemies ; so 
it can matter nothing to you whether the white or the 
red banner rides triumphant. Huayna, you have al- 
ways done what 1 asked of you. My wishes have 
been law to you, and I have never sought your aid in 
vain. Is it not true? ” 

“ Never have I failed to accomplish any task you 
set me, my mistress,” the Indian king assented. 

“ Ah, but you are wrong there. Think ! You did 
not prevent the assassination of Pizarro,” Rosa said, 
with a little laugh of malicious enjoyment. 

“ Nor did you desire me to do so. The wager con- 
cerning the cobbler was won, however. He did not 
appear,” Manco replied, meaningly. 

" I believe you knew my wish to prevent the murder,” 
the girl cried, with conviction. 

” Perhaps. Yet you did not ask me to hold back 
the Almagrians. Had you trusted me fully, who can 
say what would have occurred?” the Inca objected. 

” Well, we will not discuss the matter. Tis done, 
and time is always wasted o’er the past. Let us con- 
sider the present. You are sincere in your wish to 
have me for your queen? You really mean it when 
you say you love me ? ” 

” I love you, and you only. The throne of Peru is 
yours if you will have me with it,” he declared, his 
manner evincing his sincerity. 

“ And what will you do to prove your love? Can 
I count upon you now as I could in the days when you 
walked before my litter ? ” Rosa demanded. 

” Sefiorita, when I left Ciudad de los Reyes, after 
strangling that wretched cobbler, I belonged to you, 
body and soul. The body is as strong to-day, the soul 
is still unchanged. For love of you, both will work 
to their utmost for the accomplishment of your de- 
sires. What would you have me to ? ” 

The girl did not speak for some seconds. With 
grave and steadfast eyes she scanned searchingly the 
dark lineaments of Manco’s countenance. 

“ Huayna,” she said at last, ” I know that I can trust 
you, and I am going to trust you with my life. If 
what I am about to say were whispered in the ears of 


i 82 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


the cavaliers who sat at Diego’s table to-night, they 
would slay me without mercy.” 

“ I am listening, Sehorita,” the Inca said proudly, as 
she paused again. 

“ Oh, I trust you fully, Huayna; my words to you 
shall prove it within the next few seconds. You would 
show your love for me, you would demonstrate that 
my will is law to you, you would unhesitatingly carry 
out any request I may make of you? ” 

” Ask, mistress mine. The thing is done if power 
of man be competent for the task. I will fulfill your 
wish or I will die,” the monarch of the Sun-worship- 
ers said in determined accents. 

The girl approached her lips near to the ear, heavily 
weighted with its gemmed ornament of gold, and 
breathed in a scarce distinguishable voice : 

“ Huayna, if you love me, prove it thus : In the 
coining battle, lei Vaca de Castro he the victor!'' 

The laugh of the Peruvian rang harsh and sharp 
upon the night air ; yet, checking his mirth, he 
answered in tones as guarded as her own : 

“ What! And the evening meetings in the garden, 
the lovers’ trysts when old Picado supped with Pizarro ! 
Are they so soon forgotten ? ” 

“You knew of them!” the Rose of Rimac cried, 
drawing back in confusion. 

“ Aye, but it matters not. You are serious in your 
request, Senorita, you would have Almagro beaten ? ” 

“ Yes,” she said, fiercely, her whole heart in the 
word. 

“ They will show him no mercy, remember. His 
head will have to fall if Vaca de Castro conquers. 
Have you thought of that ? ” Manco laughed, grimly. 

“ I tell you I would have it so,” the girl returned, 
with feverish energy. “ Tell me, will you do what I 
ask? Is your love for me strong enough to make 
you betray your ally ? ” 

“ In a case of Peruvian and Spaniard, Sehorita, each 
is generally for his own hand,” rejoined the Inca. 
“ But to your other desires, for I am sure that is not 
all you would ask of me.” 

“ But it is the greatest favor ! ” the Rose of Rimac 
pouted, enchantingly. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 183 

“ And the others, what are they ? the Indian 
smiled, in answer to the witchery of her eyes. 

“ Oh, they would be countless, you would find that 
out very soon. You know how whimsical and per- 
v£pe I am,’^ she laughed. “ One thing, though, I can 
think of now. I wish to see the girdle of the Sun 
God.’’ 

“ You shall see it when you are my queen.” 

“ And I would like to handle it, and gaze for hours 
at its jewels, and to wear it — and — yes, I 'want it — I 
want it for my very own ! ” 

“ The priests will be troublesome,” Manco muttered, 
as if to himself, “ and there will be great clamor raised 
— but by Pachacamac! I am the Inca. Let them 
dare to oppose me and — mistress mine, whatever comes 
to pass, you shall have the belt.” 

Rosa Picado clapped her hands and gave an excla- 
mation of girlish glee. 

” You will really give it to me, the great girdle of 
the god ! ” she cried. 

” I have said it, Sefiorita.” 

” And you will act in the other matter as I wish? ” 

“ Mistress mine,” Manco said, suddenly. “ Sup- 
pose my part of the compact fulfilled, and the cam- 
paign ended as you desire — what mav I hope for 
then?” 

The answer of the Rose of Rimac was swift and 
decisive. 

When you have done ivhat I asked of you, ask of 
me what you will. Come, we have been too long away 
from the others. Let us return.” 

Almagro hailed the reappearance of his beloved 
with every token of delight. Eagerly hastening to her 
side, he remained with her throughout the rest of the 
evening. Together they danced, wandered along the 
shadowy paths, sat hand in hand beneath the fragrant 
vines of the gardens. 

Love looked from the eyes of Rosa Picado as she 
bid Diego “ good night ” in the corridor leading to her 
apartment ; but a more sinister light replaced the gentle 
beam as she turned from him, and she muttered to 
herself as she entered her room : 

Diego, you would not save my father!^' 


184 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 




CHAPTER XVIIL 

THE PROMISE OF FRANCISCO DE CARBAJAL. 

Notwithstanding the positive information given • to 
Isabel by Captain Shoreham, the army did not march 
upon the day following the banquet at Yucay. Pedro 
de Candia, commanding the artillery, declared that a 
few more days would be needed for completing an 
adequate supply of ammunition to serve the guns in- 
trusted to his charge. Deeply as Almagro chafed at 
the delay, he was forced to acquiesce, for the main 
strength of his army lay in its ordnance. 

Encouraged by Grafton Howard, however, the im- 
patient Diego gave his personal supervision to the 
work, and, between him and the Englishman, the an- 
cient comrade of Pizarro and his Levantine artificers 
were compelled to do their utmost. So well did the 
son of the marshal and the adventurer urge their task, 
that on the third morning after the feast to the Inca 
Manco the cohorts of the Almagrians were drawn up 
in the great square at Cuzco, preparatory to their de- 
parture. 

This force, upon which rested all the hopes of the 
leader of the Men of Chile, was indeed well equipped 
for the effort of making the final throw for the domin- 
ion of Peru. The military chest of Almagro had been 
replenished by confiscations and the treasures of the 
mines of La Plata. Gunpowder had been manufactured 
without difficulty, for near the city of Cuzco saltpeter 
was to be found in great quantities. Skilled artificers 
among the Spaniards had succeeded in forging, from 
an alloy of silver and copper, helmets and cuirasses 
that they boasted would compare to advantage with 
those turned out from the smithies of Milan. Arquebuses 
they had likewise made, with a train of artillery count- 
ing eight large guns and the same number of smaller 
pieces, or falconets. Thfe armor and weapons taken 
by the Inca at the siege of Cuzco had been given by 
the sovereign to the son of his ancient enemy. Thus 
in appointments the army of Almagro was far superior 
to any force ever before assembled in Peru. 

In numbers-, however, the levies of the Men of Chile 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


85 


fell short of the sanguine expectations of their leader. 
Recruits had been few since leaving Ciudad de los 
Reyes, for in the breast of the Spanish colonist there 
has ever been nourished a strong repugnance to rebel- 
lion against the Crown. The exhortations and prom- 
ises of Diego, therefore, had brought but few swords 
to his banner. Still, as he reined his handsome dark 
bay charger before the silent ranks that burning 
August morn, his eye flashed proudly over a stern 
array of three hundred pikemen and arquebusiers, 
supported by above two hundred horsemen, nearly 
all in full armor and mounted upon the best steeds 
the country contained. Considered according to the 
standard of the Spanish forces in the ndw world, the 
troops of Almagro, with their handsome park of artil- 
I lery, formed a body truly formidable. 

Motionless and composed beneath the waving snow- 
white ensigns, the glittering files stood grimly fast, 
while the raised voice of the youthful chieftain re- 
sounded throughout the Plaza. 

“ My friends ^d comrades,” Diego cried, “ in the 
struggle now commencing our enemies cast reproach 
in our teeth and taunt us by the name of ‘ rebels ’ ! In 
this they lie! If we are in arms to-day against the 
man who represents in Peru the authority of the 
Crown, ’tis by his own choice! Over New Toledo, 
bequeathed by my father to me, Vaca de Castro’s com- 
mission gives him no jurisdiction! Since he will not 
allow us to remain in peaceful possession of the lands 
your labors have gained for you, the blood that must 
be spilled will lie upon his head, not upon mine! 
When we slew Francisco Pizarro we took into our own 
hands the justice that was elsewhere denied to us! A 
second time occasion rises for us to maintain our rights 
with armed hand ! I^yal subjects of the emperor 
we all are — aye, loyal as Vaca de Castro hirnself ! But 
in the death of the marquis we committed no crime, 
and I, for one, will not endure to be treated as a crim- 
inal ! As for you, your cases are like my own ! Your 
interests are identical with mine ! I ask no one of you 
to follow me unwillingly! If any timid spirit be in 
your ranks, he is free to withdraw ! To you, old 
soldiers of Chile; to you, veteran companions of old 


i86 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Diego Almagro, I make my plea! I ask you to stand 
by the son of your ancient commander with hands and 
hearts, as he will stand by you while life endures! ” 

He ceased, and for a moment silence filled the 
square. Then the stern, thunderous shout of El rey 
y Almagro!'' that burst forth gave back the army’s 
answer. One and all the wa,rriors were resolved 
upon resistance. The son of the marshal was still to 
have his chance. 

A small altar sustaining a cross had been erected in 
the middle of the Plaza. In turn each officer and man 
advanced, and, laying their hands upon the sacred 
symbol, they swore to be true to the last tathe cause 
of Diego de Almagro. 

The ceremony concluded, the trumpets sounded the 
signal for the march, and the gleaming column of the 
Almagrians threaded the streets of Cuzco, setting forth 
with sanguine hopes for victory to their encounter with 
the forces of the Crown. 

Accompanying the rear-guard of horse, Isabel 
Shoreham and Rosa Picado, well attended by Span- 
ish and Peruvian servants, rode side by side. Safety 
for the daughter of the old Englishman and the beloved 
of Almagro lay with the army. Secure in her trust 
in her father and in Grafton Howard, Isabel left Cuzco 
without misgivings. The smile that parted the lips 
of the Rose of Rimac as they passed the gates was not 
easy to read. 

The direction of the march was toward the coast, 
with the expectation of soon falling in with the royal 
forces; for it was confidently supposed that Vaca de 
Castro would not remain quiet at Ciudad de los Reyes. 
The daily stages were short, so as not to tire the troops. 
At the end of a week’s marching news arrived that 
the governor sent by the Emperor Charles V. was 
concentrating the whole of his army at Xauxa. Gon- 
zalo Pizarro, it was said, had returned from the heart 
of the continent, and had offered his services against 
the slayers of his brother; but the licentiate, while 
thanking him for his good-will, had courteously de- 
clined the proffered assistance. 

“ What, think you, can be his motive, Senor How- 
ard ? ” Diego de Almagro asked, as, in company with 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


187 


the three Englishmen and Geronimo de Alvarado, he 
discussed the tidings that evening in his tent. “ Gon- 
zalo is a leader of known talents, the men who follow 
him are seasoned by a hundred battles. Does it not 
seem to you that perhaps the churchman still hopes 
for a bloodless settlement of our differences ? ” 

“ It may be so,” Howard returned, thoughtfully. 
“ You can find out easily by sending an envoy with a 
proposal for terms. He may answer this time.” 

“And will you go, my friend?” Diego demanded. 
“ The Peruvian battalions, which you are to command 
with the Inca’s brother Paullo, have not yet appeared. 
I can spare you better than I can anyone else, you 
see.” 

“ Roaring Dick and I will leave at dawn to-morrow,” 
Howard assented, briefly. And long ere the sun was 
high in the heavens upon the ensuing day the adven- 
turer and his sturdy follower were far on the road to 
Xauxa. 

A maneuver of the royal army considerably short- 
ened Howard’s journey. Fearing that his enemies 
purposed to occupy Guamanga, a strongly fortified 
town some thirty leagues from his place of rendezvous, 
Vaca de Castro had broken camp, and, by forced 
marches, had seized the position. Arriving at the out- 
posts and stating his errand, Grafton and Roaring 
Dick were, after some delay, conducted before the 
leader of their opponents. 

In the low-ceilinged principal apartment of the lar- 
gest dwelling of the town the licentiate received the 
envoys. As he entered it needed but one glance to 
assure Grafton Howard that of three officers seated 
behind a rude wooden table in the room before him 
the one in the center was the royal governor. As he 
noted the broad, thoughtful forehead, the shrewd eyes 
and decisive month, the assured pose of the athletic 
form clad in complete armor, the Englishman, mentally 
decided that there could be little of the churchman in 
the composition of this cavalier. Alonso de Alvarado 
and Alvarez de Holguin, grim and warlike in their 
mail, sat respectively to the right and left of the com- 
mander-in-chief. Beyond Alvarado a remarkable fig- 
ure leaned with folded arms against the wall, a very 


i88 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


old man — seventy-eight years had he counted at the 
time — of lofty stature and colossal frame, erect and 
straight as a lance despite his age. Thick tresses of 
silvery white framed a countenance still handsome in 
its features, but terrible in the remorseless cruelty that 
shone in the cold eyes and was stamped upon the thin, 
sarcastic lips. Though his armor and dress were rude 
and plain as those of the meanest soldier, he was evi- 
dently one high in authority. 

‘‘ Advance, caballero” Vaca de Castro said at once. 
“You bring me a communication from the rebel Alma- 
gro? ” 

“ I am commissioned by the General Diego de Alma- 
gro, chosen by the people governor and captain-gen- 
eral of Peru, to place this letter in Your Excellency’s 
hands,’’ Howard replied, coming forward and bowing 
deeply as he laid the missive upon the table. 

De Castro broke the seal and hastily mastered the 
contents, while the Englishman, drawing himself 
proudly erect, endured with impassive demeanor the 
curious glances of the three royalist officers. 

“ The same offer as before,” Vaca de Castro mur- 
mured, as he dropped the paper carelessly on the table. 
“ To me New Castile, to him New Toledo, neither to 
molest the other, our claims to be adjusted by the courts 
of Castile'. Gentlemen, what say you? Shall we 
answer the rebel ? ” 

“ With the garrote — yes ! ” 

The words, accompanied by a low, savage laugh, 
came from the veteran warrior by the wall. The royal 
governor shook his finger in reproof at the old man, 
while answering with an indulgent smile : 

“Hush, Francisco de Carbajal! Justice shall be 
done, never fear ; but the policy of our gracious master, 
the emperor, is always merciful. What say you, Hol- 
guin and Alvarado? Yet, hold! It were well, me- 
thinks, to spend some hours in deliberation ere we make 
reply. Caballero ” — to Howard — “ you are not a 
Spaniard ? ” 

“ I am English, Your Excellency.” 

“ A stout soldier by your looks. Stranger that you 
are, you can have no heart in the cause that you fol- 
low. Will a purse of an hundred ducats and the prom- 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 189 

ise of a plantation to your fancy induce you to change 
sides ? ” 

“ I thank Your Excellency, but you offer too much,” 
the adventurer smiled, though a hot wave of color 
darkened his cheek. “ Should it come to fighting, I 
will endeavor to prove to your personal satisfaction 
how greatly, you have overrated me — that is, if you 
are to be found in the front of the battle.” 

” Insolent ! ” shouted Holguin, rising and grasping 
the hilt of his sword. 

But Francisco de Carbajal, laughing loudly, stepped 
up to Howard and clapped him heartily on the shoul- 
der. 

” A cock of a fine hackle you are, my lad ! By San- 
tiago ! if we win and you fall into my hands, I will 
gibbet you a full yard higher than all the rest ! Come, 
you need not wait for an answer. That we will send 
to your chief at our own time. At my quarters we’ll 
find a bite to eat and the wine flask. Your Excellency, 
I know, will do very well without me for some hours ? ” 

The governor laughingly gave assent, and Howard 
was led from the room by the veteran captain, Roar- 
ing Richard Ruggles following most willingly. At 
the house occupied by Carbajal they were royally en- 
tertained. To the end of his life Grafton remembered 
his conversation with one who has left a name as the 
most skillful soldier and most unsparing demon of all 
the Spaniards that ever cursed the land of the Incas. 

Carbajal, on his side, seemed to take a great fancy 
to the Englishman. 

“I haven’t asked you to desert to us, amigo/' he said, 
when, having conducted the envoys beyond the out- 
posts, he was bidding them good-by. ''We are soldiers 
and gentlemen. But I’ll promise you this: If ever I 
capture you. I’ll hang you three yards higher than I 
ever hanged man before! Adios!" 

“And by Holy Paul ! he means it, Cap’n Grafton,” 
grunted Roaring Dick, as he watched the old Spaniard 
ride away. 

At Bilcas, ten leagues from Guamanga, they rejoined 
their own army; for Almagro had pressed his march 
and had succeeded in attaining that position. The 
promised aid from the Inca had arrived, and under the 


190 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Prince Paullo the dusky legions of Peru were en- 
camped without the town. To Grafton Howard, by 
prearranged agreement with the sovereign, was ac- 
corded supreme command over the Indian auxiliaries^ 
and he at once took up his quarters in their midst. 

Inclement and tempestuous weather prevented fur- 
ther advance, and during its continuance the Alma- 
grians remained at Bilcas. Upon the evening of the 
third day after his return a message from Diego sum- 
moned Howard to headquarters. 

Arrived there, he found the whole of the officers as- 
sembled. Almagro, an open letter in his hand, greeted 
his friend warmly, but with short ceremony. 

"As the Sehor Howard has come, we may proceed, 
gentlemen,” he said, as soon as the Englishman had 
taken his seat. “I hold in my hand the answer of Vaca 
de Castro to my fair proposals for a bloodless settle- 
ment of our quarrel. Would you know the terms that 
this man, new-come to us from Spain, insists upon? 
They will not take long to state. In the first place, he 
demands that I deliver up to him every one of my fol- 
lowers immediately implicated in the death of Pizar- 
ro!” 

Diego paused, glancing about the room. On every 
hand his eye met faces scowling and intent upon his 
words, while here and there expressions of apprehen- 
sion were not wanting. 

“He furthermore directs that I disband my army, 
turn over their weapons to him, and bid every man re- 
turn to his home,” the young general continued, speak- 
ing slowly and stopping to note the ef¥ect. 

“And what then?” Pedro de Candia cried, impa- 
tiently, as Diego did not proceed. 

“Then?” Almagro replied, with a laugh. 

“Oh, then I am to be forgiven, gentlemen. My 
‘treasonable practices,’ as he calls them, will be over- 
looked, and once more I shall be restored to the favor 
of the emperor.” 

Rage, amazement, apprehension convulsed the coun- 
tenances of the listeners. A storm of cries and ques- 
tions assailed their chief on the instant, Howard and 
Geronimo de Alvarado alone taking no part in the 
clamor. But Diego called impatiently for silence, and 
quiet was at last obtained. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 19I 

“You ask what I intend to do!” the son of the old 
Conquistador said proudly. “You ask it, who should 
know me so much better than that ! Have we not 
sworn on the holy cross to share the same fortune to 
the end, be it good or evil? I sent back word to Vaca 
de Castro that I would answer him with steel alone. 
Whoever slew the marquis, we will all stand for the 
deed. As for his promises of immunity to me, think 
you, Caballeros, that for a moment I credit them? 
Judge from this fact how far one may trust Vaca de 
Castro : Among the attendants of his officer was a 
Peruvian servant. While his master was with me, the 
Indian wandered through the camp, conversing with 
the soldiers. At length, unfortunately for him, he ac- 
costed the brave Sehor Ricardo Ruggles, the friend of 
the Sehor Howard. Scarcely had the native spoken 
to him for five minutes, when that gallant Englishman 
seized him by the shoulders, twirled him round, and 
propelled him by hearty kicks to my quarters. Sehors, 
the servant was no Peruvian, but a Spaniard thus dis- 
guised. He was sent by the governor to tempt my 
troops to desert me. May a man hold treaty with an 
enemy who employs such methods of war ?” 

“The spy I where is he?” half a dozen voices roared. 

“I told the Sehor Ruggles to take care of him,” Al- 
magr.o replied. 

“And he be all safe bestowed, a-swinging by the neck 
to the limb of a stout tree just beyond the town gate,” 
modestly put in Roaring Dick, who had entered the 
room unobserved a few moments before. 

Furious at the treachery of Vaca de Castro, the 
chiefs of the Almagrians with one voice demanded that 
the negotiations should cease, and that the army 
should at once march upon the foe. Almagro, happy 
in their determination, gave a glad assent, and the day 
of battle was apointed for the morrow. 

Still, for several days, the storm swept the hills, com- 
pelling the hostile forces to keep to the shelter of their 
camps. 

As, in the event of a defeat, the town of Bilcas would 
be no safe resting-place for Isabel and the Rose of Ri- 
mac, Grafton Howard had insisted upon their removal 
ta a cave in the mountains situated some miles from 


192 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


the town, he having ascertained the existence of this 
retreat from an officer in the guard furnished him by 
the Inca. The place was secure, and known to few. 
Shoreham, Howard, Advarado, and Almagro made 
daily visits to the ladies, who were well protected in 
their absence by their servants. 

And so, from day to day, the tempests continued. 
But the morn of the sixteenth of September broke at 
last, clear and cloudless. 


CHAPTER XIX. 

WE KILl.ED PIZ.XRRO ! WE SLEW THE TYRANT ! 

The sun had risen but a short space in the sky when 
the clangor of the trumpets resounded throughout the 
streets of Bilcas, summoning the soldiers to the stand- 
ards o-f their respective companies. From the Indian 
encampment without the town the strains of conch 
and atabal were also heard, and soon the plain was alive 
with the dark battalions, armed for war and drawn 
up in regular order beneath the rustling banners of 
feather-work. 

A suitable time for breakfast was allowed the men, 
and then, that meal completed, Almagro rode forth at 
the head of his gallant little army. Each cavalier of 
Diego’s following had spared no pains to present a 
splendid appearance on the day of battle. The sun 
blazed upon the burnished steel of armor damascened 
with gold and silver, brilliant-colored plumes waved 
above the crests of the shining helmets, the coats of 
their powerful chargers were sleek as satin and set off 
by gaudy caparisons and housings. 

Following close in rear of the horsemen, the artillery 
train rolled ponderously forward, the brazen bodies of 
the guns gleaming like mirrors in the bright light of 
the morning. Succeeding them, the sturdy array of 
pikemen and arquebusiers closed the column — the regu- 
lar, cadenced tread of the soldiers, the accurate slope 
of the long spears and the shining tubes of the firearms. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


193 


the clear shimmer of the morions and cuirasses they 
wore, all combining to form a picture to bring delight 
to the heart of a soldier. 

Assured and confident in the sweep of their strong- 
hearted files, the Men of Chile marched on and took 
the road for Guamanga, the Peruvian battalions mov- 
ing out and breaking into column while following in 
the track of the Spaniards. 

Grafton Howard, mounted upon Pelayo, galloped 
forward to meet Almagro. The adventurer’s panoply 
of plate and mail was gorgeously ornamented with 
gold, and even jewels, the liberality of the Inca Manco 
enabling him to make an appearance second to that of 
no cavalier in all the army. A graceful cluster of 
mingled black and yellow plumes surmounted his lofty 
crest. Like every officer and private soldier, he wore 
across his right shoulder a broad sash of white, the 
distinguishing color of his party. 

Behind him rode Roaring Dick, astride his stout bay, 
plainly and solidly decked as to armor, and bearing 
upon his shoulder the weighty, ill-omened ax he knew 
so well how to wield. 

Diego, magnificent in all his appointments, threw 
back his head with a joyful movement at sight of his 
friend, causing the spotless, snowy plumage of his 
casque to flutter bravely in the slight breeze that al- 
ready began to fail. 

“ What tidings, my Englishman ? ” he cried gayly, as 
they came up. “Your scouts — have they brought in 
news ?” 

“Aye, and of the best,” Howard returned, smiling. 
“De Castro evacuated Guamanga yesterday, and trans- 
ferred his position to the Plains of Chupas. Being so 
greatly superior to us in horse, he evidently wishes to 
be able to bring his main strength into action. There 
is no doubt now but that he will fight, and my In- 
dians are sure we shall find him there.” 

“He’ll not have to wait long for us, I hope,” Alma- 
gro said, resolutely. “What do you advise? Have 
you any plan ?” 

“Our part is to press on at once and occupy the 
heights commanding the valley,” Grafton declared, 
with kindling eyes. “If we once hold the crests, our 


94 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


superior ordnance will make short work of any attack 
the viceroy may attempt.” 

“Good. Your counsel shall be followed,” and Diego 
swiftly issued his orders to the various captains. Then, 
impatient to view the foe, he cried to the Englishman : 

“Ride with me in the advance, Sehor How^ard. We 
will precede the column and choose fit ground whereon 
tp deliver battle.” 

Away they cantered, Almagro attended only by his 
page, Manuel ; Howard, shadowed by the unmoved 
Roaring Richard Ruggles. 

The cavaliers, having gained some distance upon the 
van of their forces, pulled their steeds down to a walk, 
for the day was becoming intensely hot, and the weight 
of men clad in steel was no light burden for the noble 
animals. Wishing the chargers to retain their spirit 
for the coming fray, they were naturally anxious to 
draw as little as possible upon their strength and bot- 
tom. 

Slowly they made their way, therefore, chatting 
pleasantly while keeping a sharp outlook for the enemy. 
The country was hilly and broken, alternating in suc- 
cessive sharp ridges and stretches of level plain. Glan- 
cing behind them as they topped each new elevation, 
they could ever and again discern the steady march of 
their comrades far to the rear. 

The sun had passed the meridian, and a grunted ex- 
postulation from Roaring Dick was suggesting a halt 
for the purpose of caring for the creature comforts, 
when Howard uttered a sharp exclamation, pointing 
at the same time to the country before them. 

Up the gentle slope of an elevation that rose perhaps 
half a mile distant, two horsemen were madly gallop- 
ing away from them. 

‘‘Scouts of Vaca de Castro, Seiior Howard,” Alma- 
gro cried, laughing. '‘Dios! how the rogues fly!” 

“Their chief cannot be very near, else they would 
hold a more leisurely course,” the alventurer com- 
mented quietly. “Let us go onward to the top of yon- 
der ridge. Perchance we may find somewhat of in- 
terest on the farther side.” 

Arrived at the crest, they drew bridle and halted. 
Before them the ground descended gradually into a 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


195 


broad and level plain, well calculated for the maneuver- 
ing of cavalry. A second ridge, running toward the 
one they occupied at an angle of about sixty degrees, 
blocked off the valley to their right, but sank into the 
level at a distance of half a cannon shot from their 
position. Beyond the smooth surface of the vale the 
land rose again in hills. Swiftly scanning their irregular 
crests with the eye of a practiced warrior, Howard 
turned to his companion at once, saying : 

“They are there.” 

Diego, following the direction of the Englishman’s 
extended arm, discerned, upon the summit of a ridge a 
league away on the horizon, a long line of small specks 
that gleamed like diamonds in the noonday sun. The 
son of the marshal desired no further confirmation of 
his companion’s assertion. He knew that his eyes 
gazed upon the army of Vaca de Castro. 

Even as he looked, Howard added : 

“They begin to move ! Senor, they are coming to 
meet us !” 

Calmly the young general answered the glance of 
his friend. 

“Shall we fight them here?” he demanded, curtly. 
“The ground seems suitable, so far as I can judge.” 

Grafton Howard had already summed up in his 
mind the advantages and faults of the position. Swift- 
ly he voiced his decision : 

“The place is the best we have time to seize. Our 
guns can be used from here to advantage; the ground 
is not too steep for our horse to charge upon. That 
ridge in front of what must be the position of our right 
wing is our only danger. If the enemy come around 
by that direction, half the value of our artillery must be 
lost. Still, with the Peruvians I will have no diffi- 
culty in holding the valley beyond the hill, and will 
answer for the safety of the right of vour line.” 

“So be it,” Diego assented briefly. “Manuel” — to 
his page — “ride at full speed back to the army and has- 
ten the march of the troops. Come, senors, we have 
a few hours before us. Ruggles carries something 
good for our stomachs, I am positive. So let us enjoy 
it while we’ve the time.” 

They dismounted, and with the appetites of hungry 


196 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


men devoured the viands that Roaring Dick produced 
from a capacious haversack that he carried swung to 
his saddle. Their meal concluded, they lay idly talk- 
ing upon the sward, until the heavy tread of their ad- 
vancing soldiery broke upon their ears, and the eager 
columns crowned the hilltop. 

Directing the Prince Paullo to lead the troops of 
Peru away to the valley on the right, Howard returned 
to Diego and aided him in drawing up the line of bat- 
tle. 

The artillery, commanded by Pedro de Candia and 
worked by that captain’s Eastern countrymen, held the 
center of the Almagrian array. Supporting them were 
aligned the musketeers and pikemen. 

Half of the cavalry Almagro disposed upon the right ; 
the remainder, under his personal command, composed 
his left wing. Much time was taken up in completing 
these arrangements, and when Howard finally left the 
young general and rode away to assume the direction 
of his Peruvian division the afternoon was far spent. 

The Englishman found the warriors of Prince Paul- 
lo drawn up in two 'long lines, each above three thou- 
sand strong. The men seemed eager for the fray, their 
chiefs were fearless and gallant in demeanor. They 
greeted the favorite of their sovereign, who for so 
many months had been their own instructor, with a 
clamorous cheer that rang back from the hills as he 
cantered to where the brother of the Inca sat upon a 
handsome gray horse and ceremoniously saluted that 
chieftain. Paullo, for his part, returned the courtesy 
of the man he hated with feigned cordiality, and to- 
gether they sat in their saddles, vigilantly watching 
for the appearance of the enemy upon that side of the 
hill that might prove so dangerous to the fortunes of 
their cause. 

Silently the troops of Almagro kept their ranks, pa- 
tiently awaiting the approach of their foemen, whose 
glistening column they could see from time to time as 
it serpentined over the hills to their front, appearing 
in plain view at intervals, again lost to sight behind 
the irregular masses of broken country. Minutes 
dragged into hours, and the sun was dropping toward 
the horizon when of a sudden the van of the royalists 


1 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


197 


swept around the spur of the hill on the right and ad- 
vanced into the plain, forming for fight as they came 
on. 

Alonso de Alvarado, heading a company of horse- 
men above whose spear points floated the royal stand- 
ard, had the right of their array, thus opposing the di- 
I vision of Diego de Almagro. The whole of Vaca de 
I Castro’s foot soldiers were massed in the center, di- 
! rected by a cavalier mounted upon a raw-boned, ill- 
I tempered sorrel, his mightly form and flowing white 
! hair distinguishing Francisco de Carbajal. Gorgeous 
I in a sobre-vest of white velvet above his armor, Alvarez 
[ de Holguin rode before the viceroy’s left wing. 

Four falconets accompanied the infantry, while at 
a suitable distance in rear of their close files rode the 
Licentiate V^aca de Castro himself, with a reserve of 
forty cavaliers. The royal governor bestrode a superb 
black stallion, magnificently caparisoned, and was him- 
self arrayed in all the insignia of a night of the Order 
of Saint James. His determination to lead the first 
charge in person had been overruled by his officers ; yet 
he was that day to play the part of a skillful and valiant 
leader. 

The infantry of Carbajal had come within reach of 
the Almagrian artillery. Pedro de Candia waved his 
sword, and the battery opened fire. Terrible was the 
execution effected amid the close ranks, and, scarcely 
waiting for .a second discharge, the column staggered 
back out of range. The royalist cavalry promptly 
closed before the discomfited footmen, interposing a 
screen of men and horses between them and the foe, 
yet keeping well beyond reach of cannon shot. 

Grafton Howard, in the valley upon the farther side 
of the hill that now served as a point of support for the 
left of De Castro’s line, felt his heart bound with joy 
as he heard the crash of the guns. 

“They’re at work. Roaring Dick !” he smiled coldly. 
‘‘Peru will be won or lost in the next few hours.” 

‘‘Humph ! few minutes it seems to be, more like,” his 
subordinate grunted in disdain. “The barkers ha’ 
quit, Cap’n Grafton. The Dons appear to be shy o’ 
bumin’ powder !” 

“Nay, Dick, if the fight have ceased yonder, it is be- 


198 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


cause the work is cut out for us. We’ll have them 
upon our hands soon, if I mistake not. Such a man 
as old Carbajal will not fail to see the advantage of a 
screen like yon ridge.” 

"They are coming,” he added ten minutes later. 
"Now, Dick, to redeem my boast to old Juan de Rada 
of what could be effected with Peruvian warriors prop- 
erly handled.” 

At a rapid pace, but keeping excellent order, the in- 
fantry of Carbajal came over the hill and descended 
into the valley. That leader himself rode at the head 
of the column, pointing out with his partisan the path 
that he wished the troops to follow. 

With grim delight Howard watched the course of 
the royalist foot. Once upon the level ground, he felt 
sure that with the legions he had trained so carefully 
he would scatter that mail-clad array to the four winds 
of heaven. 

The Spaniards gained the bottom of the descent. As 
if disdaining the native warriors, they made no move 
in their direction, but hurried along past their front, 
keeping close to the base of the hill. 

The adventurer rose in his stirrups and made a sign 
to his Peruvian trumpeter. A sonorous note rang out 
from the huge conch carried by the Indian, which was 
taken up and repeated by the musicians throughout 
the expectant ranks. On the instant the lines moved 
forward at a charging pace, the chiefs shouting their 
warTcries, their warriors echoing the cries of the lead- 
ers. Onward they rushed toward the glittering line of 
the royalists, whom Carbajal had now halted and 
brought to face the attack. 

Smiling cheerfully to Roaring Dick, who rode at his 
left, Howard cantered Pelayo in rear of the first line. 
His hand gripped hard upon his long lance, and he 
gazed among the foe to find their captain, meaning to 
engage him in personal encounter. Never in all his 
life had he felt so sure of victory. 

The arquebuses of the Spaniards were lowered into 
the rests. . The harsh command to fire was distinctly 
heard, the volley ran along their line. Gaps showed 
in the masses of charging Indians, the death cry of 
many a warrior rent the sky. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


199 


Loudly at this moment sounded the voice of the 
Prince Paullo, uttering a peculiar, wailing call that was 
taken up on the instant by every chieftain. With dis- 
ciplined precision the warriors wheeled in their tracks 
and hurried away from the enemy as rapidly as they 
had the moment before approached to the conflict. 

Amazed, wrathful, the astonished Howard beheld 
the retreat. Furiously he called to the receding lines 
to turn again, but no man heeded his voice. One look 
at the grinning face Prince Paullo turned over his 
shoulder, as his gray bore him away, made the English- 
man understand. The recoil was premeditated, the 
brother of the Inca had no wish lo fight, and he ruled 
his countrymen. 

In that instant the cherished hopes of the adventurer, 
the dreams of ambition and power he had raised so 
high, were dissipated like morning mists before the 
sun. He understood that for good or ill he must stand 
or fall with the Almagrians. 

Roaring Dick, likev^ise comprehending, cursed fu- 
riously as they pulled their horses back upon their 
haunches. 

“By St. Paul! we’re betrayed, Cap’n Grafton,” he 
shouted passionately. “The lubbers meant to run from 
the start. Hark to the old Don’s yells 1 He wants us 
to give in — but I has no idea o’ trustin’ my neck in his 
hands.” 

The voice of Carbajal, crying to them to yield, came 
from the royalist ranks, and several officers were al- 
ready running toward them. 

“Yield ! Not if we know ourselves, Dick,” Grafton 
smiled, regaining his composure, as if by magic. “Fol- 
low me, and we’ll join Almagro. Fighting we’ll still 
have to our hearts’ content ere the day be done.” 

Spurring their horses, they easily evaded the footmen, 
galloped around their front, and scoured swiftly on 
until they gained the right of the Men of Chile. 

‘'Dios! you are beaten, then, my friend !”cried Geron- 
imo de Alvarado as they dashed up. 

“Without fighting, yes. Where is Diego?” de- 
manded Howard. 

“Away to the left. Will you not join my com- 
mand ?” 


200 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“No, I’ve news for the general. Be ready, they will 
be upon you within fifteen minutes,” the Englishman 
cautioned as he rode away. 

Gaining the side of Almagro, he rapidly narrated the 
defection of the Indian auxiliaries. The youthful 
leader bore the ill-tidings with unflinching composure. 

“ We have our swords and a just cause to trust in,” 
he said bravely. “Not an inch will we give back, but 
will settle the question here. Ha ! they are quick of 
foot; they have lost no time, Sehor Howard,” as the 
troops of Carbajal filed around the hill and began form- 
ing in front of his own center, “ and, por Dios! they 
shall be warmly received. Look at that ! ” 

A cannon roared in De Candia’s battery, and a great 
gap was rent in the midst of the hostile array, while 
screams and curses there were plainly heard. 

“Again, again ! my stout gunners !” Almagro shouted 
in ecstasy, as shot after shot boomed from the brazen 
lips of the cannon. “Crush the dogs! Blow them to 
perdition! Diablo! do you see that, Senor Howard! 
By heaven ! the pieces are ill-trained, the balls fly far 
above their heads !” 

It was indeed as the young leader had stated. Save 
the slaughter caused by the first discharge, no loss from 
the artillery was being suffered in Carbajal’s line, which 
was rapidly being completed. 

Diego’s face went white, and his lips set tightly. 

“Follow me, my Englishman!” he cried. ‘T think 
we have more treachery to deal with !” 

With Howard and Roaring Dick close in his rear, 
Almagro swept into the battery like a whirlwind and 
sprang from his saddle, Ruggles quickly catching the 
charger’s reins. 

‘‘Pedro de Candia !” he shouted, angrily, as he faced 
the veteran mercenary, who, on foot amid his men, 
superintended the pointing of the guns, “what means 
this wretched marksmanship? Do you not see that no 
shot touches the enemy ? Have you gone mad ?” 

“ My bulldogs are properly laid,” stubbornly re- 
turned the ancient follower of Pizarro; “ I have done 
work of this kind all my life, and ’tis too late for me to 
take lessons from a babe in arms.” 

‘'Por Dios! but you shall learn from me!” Almagro 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


201 


rejoined in wrath. “Depress the muzzles of your 
pieces there, men !” he called to the cannoneers. 

“The elevation is correct ! Leave the guns at the 
same altitude !” Pedro de Candia yelled to them as they 
started to obey. 

The hasty temper and decision of old Almagro had 
been transmitted to his son. In a trice he whipped out 
his rapier and ran the mutinous chief of his artillery 
through the body. 

“There, traitor, you have your reward !” he cried, as 
the Greek sank dying upon the earth. Then, spring- 
ing to the nearest gun, he himself aided to direct its 
muzzle against the hostile infantry. The shot sped and 
a whole file of Carbajal’s men were torn to pieces.' 

“Fire them like that, comrades !” Diego laughed, re- 
mounting his horse, and with Howard and Ruggles he 
returned to the command of the left wing. 

The gunners, catching the enthusiasm of their gene- 
ral, served their pieces afresh with the energy of mad- 
men. A terrible storm of missiles rained upon the 
massed footmen of the royalist center. Carbajal, su- 
perbly cool amid the iron hail, by word and gesture in- 
cited the troops to stand fast while he advanced his own 
artillery. Desperately they strove to obey, but the fire 
was too heavy to withstand, the front crumbled and 
wavered, the men shrank from the embrace of death. 
Abandoning his effort to bring his own ordnance into 
action, the veteran leader sent to the cavalry for help. 

On right and on left the squadrons of Alvarado 
and Holguin now galloped forward to the onset. As 
he saw the line of gleaming spear points sweeping to- 
ward him, Almagro waved his lance, but Howard 
caught at his arm. 

“For heaven’s sake, not yet!” he cried, eagerly. 
“Wait for them here, let the guns and the musketeers 
have a chance at them !” 

“Sehor Howard, an Almagro ever meets his foe 
half way!” the young Spaniard rejoined, fiercely, his 
eyes aglow with the mad light of battle. “My father’s 
custom was ever thus, and I am his son ! Onward, 
Caballeros, charge ! El rey y Almagro T 

And, spurring before his excited troopers, Diego led 
them upon the run down the hill, Grafton Howard rid- 


202 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


ing to his right, Roaring Dick gaining a place at his 
left. 

Headlong into each other’s lines the hostile masses 
crashed. Steeds and horsemen fell, lances splintered 
or drove their way home through mail and plate, Al- 
magrians and royalists were mingled in seemingly in- 
extricable confusion. Maces, swords, and battle-axes 
were speedily brought into play; the dust rose high, 
mingling in a dull red haze with the beams of the set- 
ting sun ; the horsemen rushed upon each other with all 
the ferocity of close combat. Terrible and deadly the 
wrestle as the mass swayed hither and thither over the 
plain. 

“ Vaca de Castro y el rey ! hoarsely thundered from 
one party. 

‘'El rey y AlmagroT defiantly responded from the 
other. 

From the musketeers and cannon of both armies a 
vicious rain of shot fell upon the contending cavalry. 
Holguin, conspicuous by his attire, fell pierced by two 
bullets, as he led on Vaca de Castro’s left. His men, 
nevertheless, did not waver, but gallantly engaged the 
Almagrians before them. Throughout the whole 
plain resounded the clash of steel, the din of war-cries, 
the cries of wounded and dying men, while arquebuse 
and heavy gun blazed away in the fast gathering dark- 
ness. 

Relieved by the advance of their horse, Carbajal’s 
men renewed their order and surged forward toward 
the center of the Men of Chile. Bravely the Almagrians 
met the charge, and again the royalist fantassins were 
covered with shot. Back the ranks reeled, but the offi- 
cers forced the men onward at the points of their 
swords. Nearer they came, but so rapid were the vol- 
leys of their foes that again the troops recoiled, and 
seemed about to fly, when Carbajal himself leaped out 
before their front, loosed the clasps of his cuirass, threw 
away that defense, and dashed his plumed morion to 
the earth. 

“Come on, you cowards!” he roared, waving his 
partisan above his head. “I’m bigger than any one 
of you, and make a fine mark for their shot ! Follow 
Francisco Carbajal, and see if he fears death!” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


203 


Shouting wildly, the soldiers followed him, and, rush- 
ing through the sulphurous vapors that hung about 
the guns, they slew the artillerymen and mastered the 
battery, closing immediately hand to hand with the 
supporting Almagrian foot. 

Still on every hand the conflict continued with un- 
abated violence. With all the hatred of civil war the 
Spaniards fought ; friend against friend, kinsman 
against kinsman, even in some cases brother against 
brother, struggled for the mastery. Though the roy- 
alist army counted seven hundred men, the excellent 
equipment and weapons of the Almagrians counter- 
balanced the odds, and the contest was far from un- 
equal. Day had long departed, the stars alone shed 
their pale light over the scene, yet they warred on in 
the dark, marking their adversaries by the white or red 
badges. 

The right wing of the Men of Chile was still contest- 
ing the ground with the followers of the slain Holguin 
upon fairly equal terms. The infantry in the center 
were slowly giving back before the determined efforts 
of Carbajal. On the left, after a desperate resistance, 
the squadron of Alonso de Alvarado was gradually 
succumbing. 

Animated by the presence of Diego de Almagro, his 
troops, chiefly composed of ancient followers of his 
father, were fighting like demons. In their front, too, 
Grafton Howard wielded an untiring blade, while the 
ominous ax of Roaring Dick rose and fell with ter- 
rible monotony. Almagro himself, abreast of the 
English cavaliers, fought with the skill and courage of 
a veteran. 

Before their unwearied assaults the men of Alvarado 
at last lost courage. Two of their standards were 
captured, and as the Men of Chile still furiously forced 
them rearward, they broke in flight. 

“After them !” Almagro shouted, his voice mad with 
victory. “Take ! but slay not !” 

Then turning to Grafton Howard, who was still 
near him, he cried : 

“A brave struggle, eh, Senor Howard! Have you 
seen many to equal it iii Europe ?” 

The Englishman did not reply. He had reined up 


204 the girdle of the god. 

his charger and was peering earnestly across the shad- 
ows of the plain. 

“Come, my friend, the victory is ours,” Diego con- 
tinued, “so why in the name of Satan are you silent? 
What do you see of¥ there in the night?” 

“That!” Grafton briefly replied, pointing to a long 
dark line that was speeding rapidly toward them, scarce 
distinguishable amid the surrounding shadows. Then, 
raising himself in his stirrups, the voice of the Eng- 
lishman rang like the roar of a lion across the field. 

“Rally 1 rally, gentlemen 1 with all speed assemble, I 
say! Hither, as you love our cause! El rey y Alma- 
gro!” 

From all sides the cavaliers of Chile rode to the spot, 
hastily forming line. 

“Santiago! what is it, Howard?” Diego cried, as 
they assembled. 

Grafton was spared a reply. The rattle of hoofs, 
faint for a moment, loud and clear as it came swiftly 
nearer, sounded in their ears. A black mass of horses 
and riders seemed to spring as if by enchantment from 
out the murky shades. “Vaca de Castro y el rey!” 
rang the viceroy’s war cry, and the Almagrians were 
driven before the rush of the governor’s reserve. 

Driven, but not without a brave attempt to stem the 
torrent of fresh and unwearied horsemen. Gathering 
from the first mad recoil the wrecks of their line, Al- 
magro and Howard led them in once more. Vigorous 
and eager as De Castro’s men were, they were hard put 
to it to hold their own. Thirteen of them died there, 
and many were wounded, but the last rally of the Al- 
magrians was fruitless. Exhausted and breathless, 
they scattered at last, desperately seeking safety in 
flight. 

Howard, separated from his friends in the press, 
was surrounded by several horsemen. Plying his 
sword vigorously and nobly seconded by his good Pela- 
yo, who bit and kicked the steeds of his foes with 
hearty good-will, he laid one of them dead on the 
ground, forced the others to seek an easier victim, and 
galloped away across the plain. 

On every side the forces of the Men of Chile were 
now flying, while the royalists, hot upon their heels, 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


205 


plied merciless blades and laughed to scorn pleas for 
quarter. Several times Grafton was assailed, but on 
all occasions he had merely to halt for a few seconds in 
his retreat. 

As he rode up the hill whereon the line of the beaten 
army had been established, he came upon a cavalier 
sitting motionless astride a tired horse whose head 
drooped wearily toward the grass, facing still in the 
direction of the oncoming victors. 

“A sorry meeting, Sehor Howard,’’ this shadowy 
horseman cried. “We hoped for better things this 
morning, eh?” 

“Geronimo de Alvarado!” Grafton exclaimed, “what 
wait you here, my friend ?” 

“My death,” composedly answered the Spaniard. 
“I care not to outlive the day.” 

On the instant Howard wheeled Pelayo. 

“You are right,” he said, curtly. “I am with you to 
the end.” 

“Nay, my friend, you must escape. You have still 
something to live for,” Geronimo cried. 

“My hopes for the future vanished to-day. I re- 
main,” Grafton returned with calm determination. 

“Your hopes vanished I You jest! Fly, I tell you; 
fly for the sake of Mistress Isabel ! She loves you,” 
urged De Alvarado. 

Howard shook his head and laughed lightly. “You 
are mistaken, Geronimo. And at all events, it is all 
one to me. I will die with you or escape with you, 
either one you choose.” 

“So bedt!” briefly returned the desperate cavalier. 
Raising his voice, he shouted his war-cry, sending the 
sounds far out across the plain. 

Attracted by the call, several of their comrades, who 
still lingered upon the field, inspired with the same pur- 
pose as themselves, came riding to the spot. 

They had barely time to put themselves in line when 
the victorious cavalry was galloping rapidly up the hill. 

“Surrender!” a dozen voices called out. 

“Never! On, comrades, to our last charge! We 
killed Pisarro. We slew the tyrant! ” 

And with that last defiant cry, Geronimo de Alva- 
rado spurred his steed ahead of his friends and hurled 
himself upon the lance points. 


2o6 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


The rest of the Almagrians were but a yard behind 
him. The front of the royal horsemen bent back be- 
fore their mad onset, straightened, advanced, rode over 
them and passed on in the pursuit. 


CHAPTER XX. 

ROARING DICK CHANGES AN OPINION. 

“Listen, Rosa ! Do you not hear it ? Hush ! There 
it is again ! What do you make of the sounds ?” 

Isabel Shoreham, her eyes shining like diamonds set 
in the white enamel of her colorless face, laid a trem- 
bling hand upon the Rose of Rimac’s arm. 

“They are distinct enough, though so distant,’’ the 
latter answered, with a careless laugh. “You, a sol- 
dier’s daughter, Isabel, should recognize them more 
readily than I, the child of an humble penman. ’Tis 
the noise of cannon.” 

“They are fighting yonder, then,” the English girl 
murmured, pressing her shaking fingers against her 
breast. “The battle has begun, you think?” 

“Of course they are fighting, dear friend,” merrily 
rejoined her companion. “There is nothing strange 
in that, they set out for the purpose. Yes,” she went 
on, a strange smile playing about her lips, “yonder 
Diego is winning Peru ; your father and the Senor 
Howard are helping him to do it.” 

The girls had left the cavern late in the afternoon, 
and had walked through the forest to where, from a 
ledge of rocks that jutted perpendicularly out from the 
mountain side, they could command an extensive view 
of the country over which they knew the army of the 
Almagrians must march. Far away among the hills, 
distinctly outlined in the glare of the sinking sun, 
clouds of smoke were slowly rising, and the distant 
roar of the conflict came faintly to their ears. 

“My father! my father!” Isabel cried, in tones of 
anguish, as the sullen crash increased in volume. 
“ Terrible dangers perhaps menace him now, Rosa, 
while I stand here and can do nothing to aid him ! ” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


207 


“And the Sehor Howard, too, Isabel,” Rosa Picado 
added, maliciously. '‘He is yonder also, you know ; 
have you not a thought for his danger?” 

But Isabel, unheeding the mocking voice, was kneel- 
ing upon the rock, her earnest countenance grandly 
beautiful in the fervor of spiritual entreaty, while the 
beads of her rosary slipped unceasingly between her 
slender fingers, as she prayed that no harm might come 
to those she loved. 

Long after sunset they remained upon the ledge, 
Rosa Picado gay and light-hearted, Isabel Shoreham 
weighed down by a multitude of contending hopes and 
fears; but as the twilight merged into darkness and the 
chill night air of the mountains began to make itself 
felt, the Rose of Rimac vacated the stone where for 
some time she had been sitting, and cried, drawing her 
light cloak about her shoulders with a little shiver : 

“Isabel, I am going to return to the cavern. We 
shall catch cold here, and besides I am fairly ravening 
for something to eat. Come, let our friends fight as 
long as they will, we can wish them victory just as well 
when surrounded by warmth and comfort.” 

Isabel shook oflf the beautiful hand, that lightly ca- 
ressed her dark hair, with impatience. Then, as if re- 
penting her gesture, she said gently: 

“Go, Rosa, if you wish, but I have no desire to eat. 
I do not mind your leaving me, and I can find my way 
back alone.” 

“Foolish child,” Rosa Picado began; but Isabel 
turned upon her suddenly, saying : 

“ Go, I beg of you. Leave me to myself.” And, 
laughing, the Spanish girl walked swiftly away among 
the trees. 

Arrived at the cave, she directed the native servants 
to bring her supper at once, dispatching the meal with 
a hearty good-will and smiling continually to herself 
while she ate, as if in a rare good humor. She had 
almost finished when Isabel came rapidly into the 
cavern, calling out as she saw the Indian menials : 

“Doubting Thomas !” 

A grizzled Peruvian, so rechristened by old Shore- 
ham by reason of the unerring sagacity he displayed in 
trailing the wild beasts of the hills, leaped forward at 


2o8 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


her word, prostrating himself at the feet of his young I 
mistress. Ij| 

“Saddle Breeze at once, and have her ready for me ^ 
outside. Rosa, give me some food, dear ; anything will ^ 
do, only hurry.” 

“Food you shall have at once, querida, and indeed 
you must need it sadly. I have made them keep your 
supper all ready for you” — beckoning to the servants, 
who promptly placed several dishes before Isabel. 
Then, as the English maiden began to eat hurriedly, 
forcing down the mouthfuls with feverish draughts of 
diluted wine, her friend, after regarding her with 
amazement for some moments, cried : 

“Why do you hasten thus, Isabel? And, Santis- 
sima Madre! how strange an expression your face has ! 
For what reason gave you the order to saddle your 
mare ? Are you distraught ? What have you in mind 
to do ? ” 

Scarce pausing in her eating to reply, Isabel said : 

“ I am going over there.” 

“ There ! — where? — to the fight? You can not mean 
it ! ” Rosa Picado stammered. 

“ Yes, to the field. I can not stay here. Some-^ 
thing, I know not what, tells me that my place is 
there.” i 

“ But you shall not ! This is madness, Isabel ! What 
good will your going efifect? You shall not stir from 
here, I say ; I will prevent your departure,” exclaimed 
the Rose. 

Isabel Shoreham calmly set down the cup she had 
the second before placed at her lips, and rose to her 
feet. 

“ You! '' she said, in tones of surprise mingled with 
contempt. “ I should be amused to see you try it.”, 

And before the coldly composed stare of the steady 
gray eyes Rosa Picado shrank back, dumb and 
abashed. 

Stopping only to secure a large flask filled with the 
fermented juice of the maguey, which she suspended 
about her neck by means of a broad leathern strap 
attached to the bottle, and to exchange her light wrap 
for a thick cloak better adapted for protection against 
the cold, Isabel stepped forth into the starlight. ; 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


209 


Before the entrance to the cave, Doubting Thomas 
was in readiness with Breeze, her favorite saddle mare, 
a graceful sorrel, swift and sure-footed among the 
hills. 

Isabel was in the saddle without delay, and, bid- 
ding the groom expect her return before daybreak, 
rode away at once along the road that led down to the 
plains. 

The route was winding and circuitous, and to her 
impatient mind the time occupied in reaching the level 
ground seemed very long. The foot of the mountain 
she gained at last, however, and then, inciting her will- 
ing animal by hand and voice, she was carried in the 
direction of the Plains of Chupas at a pace that showed 
Breeze to be aptly named. 

On through the darkness they sped, the wind rush- 
ing in Isabel’s face, the mare beneath her stretching 
to the work as if the thoughts that filled the brain 
of her mistress had been subtly communicated to her 
and had put redoubled energies into the pliant muscles 
of her slender limbs. On, ever on, at headlong speed, 
while tree, rock, scrub, flashed by, dim, indistinct in 
the starlight, and mile after mile was speedily covered. 

Onward, onward, onward in the night they dashed, 
guided by the distant shots that now crashed in volleys, 
now rang in scattering reports. To Isabel it seemed 
that another than herself guided the mare ; her nerves 
appeared to have turned to steel ; with light and steady 
hand she piloted the sorrel over the broken and rocky 
ground, avoiding each obstacle and pitfall as if in- 
spired. 

The heavy guns were now no longer to be heard, 
the crack of an arquebuse sounded only at rare and 
fitful intervals. Suddenly the girl threw the mare 
back on her haunches, paused to listen, and then rode 
swiftly into the shadow of a clump of trees that stood 
a few rods from the roadside. The clatter of rapidly 
approaching horsemen had come to her ears from the 
darkness ahead. 

Madly past her they tore, the horses running free, 
the riders calling to each other in frenzied cries of fear, 
the rattle of their armor and the clash of their scab- 
bards mingling strangely with their hoarse, terror- 


2 10 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


stricken accents. Isabel’s heart seemed to stand still 
while she noted the white sashes as they went by. They 
were Almagrians, beyond a doubt, and they were in 
full flight ! Her friends had lost ! She was none the 
less resolved to proceed. Scarcely had the thundering 
hoofs began to die away down the road she had come 
when Breeze was again urged forward. 

With every nerve a-quiver and alert to note the slight- 
est sound, Isabel still raced on toward that stricken 
field. Again and again she swerved from her course 
and sped away to one side, while party after party of 
the fugitives, both mounted and afoot, fled by her, un- 
noting her presence in the darkness. She let them 
pass, then galloped in the direction whence they ran. 

The sound of trumpets, clear and long drawn out, 
now rose upon the air at a not very considerable dis- 
tance before her, scarce a mile, so far as she could 
judge. She knew not their meaning, nor did she care 
to know it. To go on, to get to the battlefield, to 
search for Grafton Howard and for her father was 
her one idea. 

“ They are there — they never fled,” she told her- 
self, a species of mournful pride mingling with the 
grief that filled her heart. 

From the shelter of a rock by the roadside a dark 
shape leaped suddenly out, a powerful hand seized 
the bridle-rein near the bit, and brought the mare to a 
dead halt. A great ax quivered in the air, poised in 
readiness to descend. Isabel could see that the man 
was a royalist, for the red sash across his shoulder 
and breast was visible under the light of the stars. 
Desperately she clutched at Breeze’s mane, turning 
faint and giddy. 

“ Down from the saddle ! ” a savage voice com- 
manded, sternly. “ Though you be of our side, I must 
have the beast ! ” 

A great cry of joy parted the maiden’s lips. “ Mas- 
ter Ruggles ! ” she almost shrieked. “ Thank God ! ” 

“ St. George of England ! You, Mistress Isabel — 
you here ! ” exclaimed Roaring Dick, sinking his ax 
promptly earthwards, for it was indeed he. “ What in 
the name o’ — o’ — o’ — well, o’ everything 1 oughtn't to 
say, be you a-ridin’ this way for? We’re beat, mis- 
tress, beat, an’ cut to splinters.” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


2 I I 


“ I know — I judged as much — I passed many of the 
fugitives,” Isabel panted. “ But my father, Master 
Ruggles — and — and — Master Howard — know you 
aught of them ? Where are they ? ” 

“ That be just what I was raisin’ anchor to find out,” 
returned Richard, resuming his customary growling 
accents. “ The bloody Dops o’ the viceroy’s side ha’ 
sounded their recall a few moments agone. I has it 
in mind to make sail an’ stand toward them, an’ if so 
be as Cap’n Grafton be in shape to be towed away 
from the ground, why, I counts on givin’ him a haw- 
ser.” 

“ And my father. Master Ruggles, we will seek him 
also,” put in Isabel. 

“ No need o’ that. He’s safe. Him an’ the lad Al- 
magro quit the field together, both fightin’ like dev — 
like angels, I means — as they went. I saw ’em, an’ 
thinkin’ Cap’n Grafton was o’ the company I rode 
in way of consort in their wake till I finds out different. 
Then I goes about an’ stands back, but a thievin’ son — 
I should say, a dago o’ the other side — shoots my horse. 
Down I goes beneath the beast and up he runs to make 
a end o’ me. He’s not sufferin’ any from the cold night 
air now. He’s warm. I throws off my white sash an’ 
takes his red one, for all cats is of a color in the dark, 
you knows. An’ then I hears you a-comin’ on an’ I 
feels as if I’d sooner ride than walk. An’ you knows 

the rest. Only, Mistress Isabel ” Dick ceased his 

tale and grunted bashfully. 

“ Say on, Master Ruggles, what would you ask of 
me?” Isabel cried, impatiently. 

Why — ahem ! — well ! — you never come so far to 
try an’ find your father an’ Cap’n Grafton without 
bringin’ along a drop o’ somethin’ in case they needed 
it or felt thirsty, did you now ? ” Ruggles returned, in 
his most insinuating voice. 

” Why, no ; I have a large flask. Won’t you drink 
some of its contents to restore your strength? ” Isabel 
asked, unslinging the bottle and extending it to her 
countryman. 

“ Will I? Well, just a drop. Mistress Isabel. To 
your good health I quaffs it.” 

And the eyes of Richard Ruggles were staring to- 
ward the stars. 


2 1 2 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Dearly as he loved liquor, Roaring Dick made no 
long delay over his treasure. “ Come, Mistress Isabel, I 
vve must look sharp," he said, returning the flask with 
a reluctant sigh. “ The enemy is rallyin’, an’ now 
is our time. Make sail, then, an’ may we have a speedy 
voyage. I knows the channel, so follow in my wake." ; 

Guided by Richard, Isabel soon found herself mount- I 
ing a hill, and presently ‘they paused upon the crest. I 

“ Here stood our line in the beginning," explained | 
the mariner. “ See, the whole o’ the field is before us. ' 
Away off there to the left the troops o’ the viceroy 
are gatherin.’ " 

From the part of the plain he indicated the blare 
of the trumpets still rang at regular intervals. Torches 
blazed here and there, and by their distant glare the 
gleaming armor of the soldiers could be discerned as 
they hastened each toward the banner of his company. 
Called in by the impatient signals, the valley directly 
in their front was bared of De Castro’s troops. 

“ Come, Mistress Isabel, we’ll go down there," Rich-, 
ard proposed. 

They made the descent of the gentle declivity over 
ground cumbered here and there by a corpse or a 
dying man whose piteous groans were terrible to hear. 
Somewhere off in the plain a lacerated charger was 
screaming in his pain, the notes of brute suffering 
making a sound heartrending in its awful anguish. 
Grim, dark shapes were beginning to glide stealthily 
over the field left free by the Spaniards. 

“ Injuns!" Roaring Dick grunted, with an inward 
curse. " Come to rob the dead ! If any of ’em gets 
within reach o’ my ax — well, just let him, that’s all ! " 

They had nearly reached the level when Breeze 
snuffed the air and neighed loudly. A horse answered 
immediately off to their left, and Richard cried, joy- 
fully : 

“ By Saint Paul, it is Pelayo I I’d know his voice 
among a thousand." 

Hastening in the direction of the sound they came 
to where, amid the corpses of half a score of cavaliers 
and chargers, the noble warhorse of Grafton Howard 
stood snuffing the motionless body of his master. 
Scarce three yards away lay Geronimo de Alvarado,. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


213 


drenched in his own life-blood, let out through three 
terrible lance wounds in the chest. 

Cap’n Grafton, no mistake,” Dick declared, 
mournfully. “ We ha’ found him. Mistress Isabel.” 

But Isabel had sprung from Breeze’s back and was 
already raising the head of the adventurer to a pillow 
in her lap. 

” He isn’t dead ! He can’t be ! I won’t let him die ! ” 
the girl cried, feverishly. “ Take off his helmet, stu- 
pid, can^t you help me? ” 

Roused to action by her tone, Richard was quick to 
remove the casque and loosen the gorget of his captain, 
and the pale face of Howard was bared to the air of the 
night. 

Lifeless, in truth, he seemed, at the first, but Isabel 
was untiring in her efforts to revive him, and at length 
her labors were crowned with success. The adventurer 
opened his eyes, regained his senses, was presently 
able to sit up. 

j While he gathered his strength before mounting 
Pelayo to leave the field, Grafton heard the stories of 
I Dick and Isabel, and told them his own. The roan 
I had stumbled and fallen with him in that last mad rush 
to death, and he had lain insensible until they came to 
his rescue. 

“ Poor Geronimo ! ” he said, sadly, as he gazed at 
■the dead face when at last he was able to stand upon 
his feet. ” Dick, we must not let him lie here.” 

“ We can't help it, Cap’n Grafton,” Richard said, 
regretfully. “ The livin’ afore the dead, an’ we has 
but time to make our own escape.” 

So, aided to the saddle of Pelayo, while Isabel 
mounted afresh upon Breeze, they rode away, leaving 
that gallant cavalier to the caprice of his enemies. 

But first Isabel Shoreham pressed a kiss upon the 
marble forehead, the eyes beneath which, when living, 
had ever flashed brightest at sight of her. 

The way was long and could not be made at a very 
rapid pace, for Howard was too badly shaken to ride 
fast, and Dick was forced to proceed on foot. Yet 
soon after sunrise they reached the cave, and there, 
after a surprised welcome from the Rose of Rimac, and 
a good breakfast, all three retired to seek a few hours’ 
repose. 


214 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Roaring Dick aided his captain to disarm, and he 
said, just before leaving him to his slumbers: 

" Cap’n Grafton, if ever I ha’ made light — in word 
or thought — o’ that most gracious lady, the Mistress 
Isabel Shoreham, I takes it all back. She’s worthy to 
be the guidin’ star for the craft o’ any mariner on this 
here ocean o’ life, what we has talked on, as, perhaps, 
you remembers. An’, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll 
lose no time in makin’ sure o’ her.” 

“ Why, Dick, thou hast changed wonderfully since 
our last discussion on the subject,” returned Howard, 
with a weary smile. ” I blame thee not, though, for 
Mistress Isabel’s brave ride to-night undoubtedly saved 
me.” 

“ Bah ! As if I’d not ha’ been able to do that ! ” 
grunted Richard, scornfully. 

“ But if not for that, what then has changed your 
opinion ? ” Grafton demanded. 

“ She brought a flask along. Good slumbers to you, 
Cap’n Grafton,” answered the late master-mariner of 
the “ Freak of Fortune.” 


CHAPTER XXL 

“ A LOVE TRYST WITH THE ROSE OF RIMAC ! ” 

It was after eleven o’clock in the day when Howard 
awoke, feeling much refreshed by his few hours of 
repose. Roaring Dick was already astir, and to him 
the adventurer gave orders that all things should be 
prepared for their immediate departure. Knowing that 
the victorious royal troops would thoroughly scour the 
hills in search of their fugitive enemies, Grafton felt 
that they had but little time to lose in starting to gain a 
place of safety. 

“ Allow Mistress Isabel to sleep until the very last 
possible moment, though, Dick,” he cautioned at the 
end of his instructions. “ Let her have all the rest we 
can afford to give her. The Sehorita Picado, has she 
risen? ” 

“ Aye, she’s been up an’ about for some hours, an’ 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


215 


very lively she seems, I must say,” sourly responded 
Richard. “ She questioned me a deal about the battle, 
an when she’d heard all 1 could tell her she laughs an’ 
asks o’ me whatj thinks o’ the way her countrymen 
can fight. An’ then she says she be o’ a mind to walk 
a bit, an’ sails away along that path yonder.” 

I will go and find her myself. Bid the servants 
hasten, and don’t forget to provide a meal for us before 
we start,” and Howard hurried away among the trees. 

Following the pathway indicated by the finger of 
Roaring Dick, he strode swiftly along, keeping a sharp 
outlook for the object of his search ; but he did not lay 
eyes upon her until he had traversed the entire length 
of the narrow road in the forest, coming out suddenly 
upon the ledge from whence, on the preceding after- 
noon, the girls had seen the far-ofif smoke of the fight. 

Rosa Picado was there alone now, scanning the 
country below with intent and eager gaze. As she 
heard the Englishman’s footstep on the rock she turned 
and faced him, crying : 

■ ” A fair good day, Senor Howard. I trust that this 
morning’s sliftnber has in a measure restored yoiir 
strength. You looked scarce able to sit your horse 
when I saw you at sunrise, and I feared that you had 
not been treated well by my countrymen. They have 
done a great deal to dim that gay armor of yours, and 
I must confess to you that I think it sadly in need of a 
thorough burnishing.” 

Howard, upon rising, had resumed the armor worn 
upon the day before, and, as it was still in the same 
condition as when he left the field, it’s dinted, gore 
be-rusted surface told eloquently of the perils faced 
by its wearer. 

“ You speak but the truth, Senorita,” he laughed, 
glancing comically down over his discolored corselet. 
“ Fortunately a little attention from Dick Ruggles will 
repair all the damage.” 

To your coat of proof, yes; but as to the mind of 
its master — your confidence in the star that guides your 
fortunes is still unshaken — no? ” with an amused flash 
of the azure eyes, that was met unmoved by the com- 
posed glance of the soldier of fortune. 

“ Up to-day and down to-morrow, Senorita, is no 


2i6 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


new experience for me/’ Grafton answered, coolly. 

“ I should imagine you would be getting very weary 
of defeats by this time,” she broke in before he could 
continue. “ Here in Peru they like to make them 
final, too, Sehor. The troops of the viceroy will be hard 
worked to-day, believe me.” 

“ And to spare them any fatigue over our cases, we 
will take good care to be out of the way before they 
can come upon us. I have sought you, Sehorita, to 
inform you that we must leave almost at once.” 

” Leave ! ” Rosa Picado cried. ” Leave this place ! 
And for where, Sehor Howard? What is your desti- 
nation ? ” 

“ I am well acquainted with the road that leads to 
the capital of the Inca Manco,” the Englishman re- 
joined. “ Within the hidden city of that friendly 
monarch we may laugh at De Castro’s bloodhounds. 
We must not delay, though, for by sunset I wish to be 
so far on the journey that all risk of capture may be 
impossible and the remainder of the traveling be ac- 
complished at a pace that will be easy^for you and 
Mistress Isabel. So, Sehorita, come, if you please, at 
once.” 

” Come, with you ! ” the Rose of Rimac exclaimed, 
a contemptuous smile parting her warm, red lips. "" / 
join your flight and seek the asylum offered by a bar- 
barous prince amid his rude and savage subjects! 
Nay, Sehor Howard, if that be your thought, lay it 
aside. My way lies not in the direction of the Peru- 
vian city.” 

“ And whither points it then, if I may ask, Sehor- 
ita ? ” queried the adventurer. 

“ Toward the place where lies my duty. Sehor How- 
ard, I go to Cuzco ! ” 

“ To Cuzco ! ” Howard repeated, wonderingly. 

“ Yes, even to Cuzco,” the girl averred, still smiling 
quizzically at the puzzled countenance of the English- 
man. “ Ah, Sehor Howard, you are not wont to be so 
slow of comprehension I Can you not see at once the 
reasons why Rosa Picado should seek the old metrop- 
olis of Peru with all speed ? ” 

Grafton suddenly removed the plumed cap with 
which he had replaced his helmet before leaving the 
cave, and stood uncovered before her. 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


217 


“ Senorita, I have wronged you, and earnestly, most 
earnestly, do I crave your pardon,” he said, all of his 
frank and gallant nature showing in face and voice. 
“ I deemed you cruel and careless of the feelings of 
others ; I judged you to have no emotions in your own 
heart save the whimsical promptings of idle coquetry. 
That you could love, and love so greatly, so nobly, I 
never dreamed. You are right, Senorita ; your part is 
to proceed to Cuzco ; to the side of Diego de Almagro, 
the cavalier who Vv^orships you beyond all things in 
heaven and earth — the man to whom you have given 
your own love, there to abide with him, whatever lot fate 
may bestow. To you be the task, Senorita, to strength- 
en him in his day of defeat ; to incite him to bear mis- 
fortune unconquered ; to drive away his griefs and en- 
courage him to hope once more. Ah, Senorita, you 
have a noble heart ! ” 

But a merry peal of astonished laughter replied to 
the Englishman’s admiring words. 

“ Almagro ! ” the Rose of Rimac cried, scarce able 
for mirth to enunciate the name. “ Think you, then, 
that I would go to join him — the disgraced, the over- 
thrown Diego! Bah! Sehor Howard; I had judged 
you to be a man of more penetration. Almagro, in- 
deed ! ” 

“ But you and he were lovers,” bluntly interrupted 
Howard. 

” Aye, were; but to love once is not to love always, 
Senor Howard. You have lived long enough to know 
that. Listen, I will tell you a few things that, were 
you of my owrf race, I would never dare divulge to 
you. But Englishmen do not kill women, and I know 
I am safe from your wrath. And I will tell you them 
with the more relish because you have ever been in- 
sensible to the influences I can wield over most men 
at will, and have always seemed to hold light the 
charms so desired by the foremost cavaliers of Peru.” 

The adventurer smiled cynically, replacing his cap 
upon his head. 

You, at all events, have made no mistake in reading 
me, Senorita,” he said. “ I believe that I also begin to 
understand you. I shall listen with interest to any- 
thing you may have to say.” 


2I8 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ And I hope the words will penetrate beneath the 
mask of indifference you wear, and strike deep into 
that cold heart of yours,” Rosa Picado returned, 
viciously. “ You had great hopes when you set out for 
the fray yesterday morning ; had you not, Sehor How- 
ard ? The success of Alniagro meant much to you, and 
in his triumph you foresaw the presage of future great- 
ness for yourself ; is it not so ? ” 

“ I shall not dispute your convictions, Sehorita,” 
Grafton returned, carelessly. “ Let us suppose the 
case to be as you say.” 

“ And they have all been dashed to fragments, those 
beautiful air castles you builded,” the girl sneered. 
“ Instead of rising from your couch this morning the 
trusted chief captain of a triumphant leader, you waked 
to find yourself a hunted fugitive with a price upon his 
head, in whose ears the cries of trailing bloodhounds 
may ring at any moment. For this deplorable outcome 
to your ambitious visions you blame, no doubt, the 
valiant troops of the viceroy — eh, Senor Howard ? ” 

“ Not wholly, Senorita. Other things besides lead 
and steel had a hand in our defeat,” the Englishman 
smiled, politely. ” I should not be surprised to find 
you informed of them as well or better than I myself.” 

“ What you say is a mere surmise, but you are not 
wrong,” Rosa Picado answered, after a quick glance 
at his composed features. “ Yes, Senor Howard, Al- 
magro’s cause fell not before the weapons of the royal 
army — far from it ! The son of the Conquistador 
failed because a woman wished him failure — and, 
Senor, I am the woman ! ” 

She paused, throwing her head back proudly, while 
she sought with curious eyes to read the effect of her 
words in the face of her auditor. 

You are most interesting, Senorita,” Grafton as- 
sured her, with a mocking inclination of his head. 
” Prav continue, but remember that I am pressed for 
time.” 

” You show no anger at what I say, Senor Howard,” 
she murmured, astonished and disappointed. “ Per- 
haps you do not believe me ; you think I am speaking 
untruths ? ’’ 

“ I believe you, Senorita. Continue, I am most 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


219 


anxious to hear the remainder of what you have in 
mind,” he laughed — and, try as he might to make it 
careless, the laugh was not pleasant to hear. 

“You shall be gratified, never fear. Senor Howard, 
if ever woman loved man, I loved Diego de Almagro. 
The whole wealth of afifection that it is in the power 
of a girl to bestow upon the man who first fills her 
heart I lavished upon him. All of the high ideals, the 
noble attributes, the lofty visions that every maiden 
dreams, ere she knows the world, to find the master 
of her soul possessed of, I ascribed to him. Diego 
stood in my mind for all that is glorious and knightly. 
I worshiped him — I would have done anything to 
please him. Wholly I belonged to him, I lived for him 
alone.” 

” Accepting at the same time, however, the homage 
of every cavalier who bowed at your shrine; is it not 
so, Senorita ? ” the adventurer suggested, with ironical 
courtesy. 

“ Could I help it if men found me beautiful and 
proffered me their love ! ” the girl cried, defiantly. 
“ Fools heed no warning, and if many adored me, was 
that my fault ? And though the greatest fortunes and 
the proudest names in the province were laid at my 
feet, I scorned them all ; Diego alone filled my 
thoughts ! ” 

“ Unfortunate and wicked man ! Great indeed must 
have been his crime to lose such devotion ! ” Howard 
murmured, sympathetically. 

“ Great indeed, Senor Howard,” the Rose of Rimac 
agreed, eagerly, unheeding the latent sarcasm of his 
voice. “ After all that I had given to him, despite the 
oaths he had sworn to make my life one long dream 
of happiness, Diego failed me in my hour of need. 
Though I besought him to interfere and save the life 
of my father, he made no effort in his behalf, but al- 
lowed the poor old man to be led to the executioner. 
What think you, Seiior Howard, of such requital for a 
love like mine ? ” 

You, wrong Almagro, Senorita,” the Englishman 
said, coldly. “ He would gladly have stayed the death 
of your father, but he had not the power. Only a 
miracle from heaven could have rescued Picado from 
his fate.” 


220 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ Had not Jiian de Rada interposed I would have , 
effected it/’ she returned, passionately. ‘‘He soon 
found to his sorrow what it was to balk the desires of 
Rosa Picado.” 

“ Ah, yes ; you poisoned him, I believe,” Grafton 
remarked, in matter'-of-fact tones. 

The girl started violently, casting a frightened look 
at the steely eyes of the adventurer, and exclaimed : 

“ How did you know that ? — I mean, ’tis false ; he 
died a natural death, I tell you ! ” 

“Bah, Sehorita, what matters it?” he smiled, in- 
differently, waving his hand as if brushing the recol- 
lection aside. ” ’Tis is all done, and can not be mended. 
Let it be forgotten. Much of what you would further 
tell me I know already. You sowed dissension among 
Diego’s officers after De Rada was gone ; you did ' 
everything in your power to delay the preparing of the 
army while our forces lay at Cuzco — yes ? ” 

“ All that, and more,” the Rose of Rimac answered, 
her voice ringing with malicious triumph. “ The camp 
of Vaca de Castro had many letters from me, too, and 
he knew your strength and plans long ere you marched, 
Sehor Howard. And I had still other effects upon the 
battle. You felt small joy yesterday when the Indian 
legions fled from the charge without coming to strik- 
ing distance of the Spaniards. Ah, I see by the flash 
of your eyes how you relished their retreat, and indeed 
I gathered much of your emotions at the moment from 
the telling of that amusing Sehor Ruggles. The be- 
havior of the Peruvians meant a great deal to you, 
Sehor Howard ; is it not true ? ” 

“ A great deal, Sehorita.” Grafton bowed gravely. 

“ Well, Sehor, I will give you the satisfaction of 
knowing that the treason of the natives was due to me. 
There, how like you that ? ” and, as she spoke, her 
innocent, childlike eyes were dancing in delight at the 
anger she hoped to arouse. 

“ Ha ! I see it now. The night at Yucay — your walk 
with the Inca. You made the bargain then, I sup-' 
pose,” the Englishman commented, in unmoved ac- 
cents. 

“Dios! will nothing anger him!” Rosa muttered,' 
between her teeth. Then, raising her voice aloud: ‘ 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


221 


\ou have guessed, Sehor. The Inca betrayed 
Almagro at my word. Pedro de Candia also was my 
tool. / caused him to delay your march. / made him 
so mad with love for me that he did all I wished. By 
niy will he pointed the guns too high — you see, the 
Sehor Ruggles narrated the events of the day very 
fully.” ^ 

“ Almagro killed old Pedro ; I presume you know 
that,” the adventurer put in. 

” As he merited. He was a traitor,” the Rose of 
Rimac rejoined, contemptuously. 

The laugh of Grafton Howard was stern and harsh. 

‘‘ A traitor you call him, while you confess that he 
deserved his death,” he said, and his voice was relent- 
less as the decree of doom. “ Sehorita Picado, I won- 
der at your matchless impudence. You stand before 
me a confessed murderess. You killed Juan de Rada. 
Deny it not — you can not lie to me successfully. The 
blood of every luckless cavalier who fell yesterday is 
upon your head. You have avowed it, you have no 
defense to offer now. Traitress, assassin as you are, 
have you lost your wits? See you not that you are 
in my power? ” 

“ In your power ! ” Rosa cried, alarm showing in- 
stantly in voice and countenance. 

“ Aye, in my power,” Grafton hissed, his features 
assuming an almost demoniacal expression. “ What 
prevents me from avenging the brave comrades I have 
lost? I have but to seize you, to bear you to where 
Roaring Dick awaits me. That man, Sehorita, has no 
fine emotions to combat when once his rage is awak- 
ened. Should I, judging you guilty, hand you over 
to Richard Ruggles for executioner, do you think that 
from him you could hope for mercy? Were I to give 
him the word he would think nothing of binding you 
to a tree and leaving you to the beasts of the forest. 
How like you the picture of the fate your imprudent 
frankness has brought upon you? ” 

So terrible was the tone of the Englishman, so bale- 
ful the relentless wrath that glared from his eyes, that 
Rosa never doubted but that he would carry out his 
threat. 

“ Mercy ! ” she shrieked, falling upon her knees and 
stretching out her hands in supplication. 


222 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


Ill answer to her prayer Howard roared with laugh- 
ter. His face regained its usual aspect, and when he 
spoke his voice was sad and gentle. 

“ Sehorita, you need have no fear,” he said, reas- 
suringly. “I did but try you. That angry burst of 
mine was all assumed, and I would no more harm you 
than I would lay hands upon a little child. Like most 
persons false by nature, you are a coward. Rise, you 
are safe from me.” 

” You did not mean what you said? You will not 
give me to Ruggles ? ” she stammered, gaining her feet 
while visibly trembling. 

“ Honest Dick would scarce know what to do with 
you,” Grafton replied. “ As for me, I would say a 
few words to you, and then would part from you for- 
ever. Sehorita, listen to me. I have heard your story, 
and this is what I think of it. You say that you loved 
Diego de Almagro ? ” 

” I loved him, yes,” she muttered, stubbornly. 

“ Permit me, Sehorita, to express my disbelief. A 
nature such as yours can not love. Passion you may 
feel, the unreasoning, impulsive caprice of a child ; but 
love, that supreme, immortal gift from heaven to the 
dwellers upon earth, you could never know. Only 
those whose hearts are true can really love. A creature 
like yourself, false to the very core of your existence, 
can have no conception of that much misused word. 
Such as you are, you have my pity. You are not worth 
my anger.” 

Assured of immunity from punishment, Rosa Picado 
had regained her composure. Her eyes flashed as she 
listened to the Englishman’s words, and she broke in 
upon him angrily : 

“ Your pity, Sehor ; ’tis well for you that Diego 
de Almagro can not hear what you say. Were he here, 
he would lay you dead at my feet ! ” 

“ Hardly, knowing what he would know had he 
overheard us,” suggested Howard. 

” Even then he would kill you if I said so. Diego 
loves me, and would love me in spite of all,” she per- 
sisted. 

“ I think not, Senorita. Almagro is a gentleman, 
?.nd therefore must respect what he loves. No true 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


223 


man can respect a woman he knows to be false. I 
am confident that Dieg'o would feel toward you as I 
do.’’ 

“ And yoit feel for me — what ? ” she demanded, a 
hot flush mantling her cheeks. 

Simply contempt, Senorita. You are beneath 
hatred,” carelessly rejoined Howard. 

He turned as if to depart, but, altering his intention, 
faced her again, and continued : 

“ Senorita, you have done a great deal of harm, and 
though I let you go free now, sooner or later you will 
have to pay for it. Retribution is always sure in this 
world, believe me. We can not escape the conse- 
quences of crime. There are convents in Peru, and if 
a friendly word from me may be heeded by you, I 
would suggest that the remainder of your life would be 
fitly passed in some such retreat.” 

“ A convent ! For me ! ” 

Amazed, indignant, wrathful, and then amused at 
the idea, Rosa Picado flashed a savage glance at the 
adventurer, then broke into a peal of laughter. 

” Thank you for your good advice, Senor Howard ; 
but I shall not follow it,” she cried. “ No, no, Senor, 

I have a far different life before me. I shall return 
to Cuzco, where, since he knows the great services 
I have rendered to his party, I shall be sure of the 
good offices of the viceroy. The fortune of my fatherj 
confiscated by your friends, shall be restored to me — 
I bargained for that. Rich I shall then be, and I will 
not linger in Peru. To Spain, to Spain, I shall go, 
where there are gallant noblemen who worship beauty 
as madly as do the adventurers of the new world. 
And once there — Senor Howard, look at me ! ” 

Obediently the adventurer gazed, and false and 
despicable as he knew the woman to be, he could not 
dispute the marvelous fascination of her incomparable 
loveliness. Superb, radiant, matchless in all the glory 
of her face and figure, the Rose of Rimac stood before 
him in the blaze of the noonday sun, her head thrown 
slightly back, a smile of triumphant mockery shining* 
in her eyes and parting the scarlet lips. In spite of 
himself, Howard’s heart leaped and his blood ran 
quicker in his veins. The girl noted the change in his 


224 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


countenance, her eyes mutely encouraged the rising 
passion in those of the adventurer. Silent and immov- 
able as statues they stood gazing at each other while 
one might count a score. 

Sharp, clear, and resonant sounded the twang of a 
bowstring from the thicket behind them. An arrow 
hissed in the heavy, sun-scorched atmosphere, and, 
without a cry, without even a gasp or sob, Rosa Pi- 
cado dropped dead upon the rock. The missile had 
passed directly through her heart. 

Howard, amazed and horror-stricken, sprang at once 
to where she lay. He raised her head from its harsh 
pillow, only to see that his efforts in her behalf would 
be of no avail. Laying his lovely burden back upon 
the stone, he rose, grasping at his sword, when, from 
the bushes, the Inca Manco stepped forth and con- 
fronted him. His face stern and set, the sovereign ad- 
dressed the adventurer : 

“ I have heard all, my Englishman,” he said, in 
measured accents. ” The whole story of her perfidy 
1 got from her own lips. As her judge, you spared 
her — / slew. I had the right to slay.” 

.With a gesture full of dignity, he motioned Howard 
to stand aside that he might contemplate his work. 

Beautiful in death as in life, Rosa Picado lay before 
them as if she slept, though to one who chanced to 
come upon her unawares the feathered shaft of the 
arrow protruding from her bosom would have made 
plain the reason for her prostrate attitude. 

For perhaps five minutes Manco stood, leaning upon 
his now unstrung bow, looking down upon the woman 
he had loved with all the fervor of a noble, although 
barbaric, nature. The face of the Inca was like an ex- 
pressionless mask of bronze, but his heaving chest be- 
tokened that emotions were not dead within him. 
Abruptly he turned to the Englishman at last, saying : 

” Come, we must away. Time presses.” 

“ But — thatf ” Grafton objected, casting a meaning 
glance at the lifeless body. 

“ Let it lie there,” Manco returned, in a voice that 
admitted no dispute, and together they sought the cave. 

Ruggles had prepared a meal, as ordered, and though 
he had little appetite, Grafton forced himself to eat. 


•THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


225 


To Isabel and the rest he declared that Rosa Picado 
had been already sent forward upon the journey under 
escort of some of the Inca’s warriors. 

Hunger satisfied, they at once took the road. How- 
ard and the Inca, both mounted, closed the end of the 
march. As they passed around a spur of the crags 
whence a last view of the fatal ledge could be had, 
Manco suddenly laid his hand upon Grafton’s shoulder. 

“ See ! ” he said, pointing to a black speck that 
showed in the distant sky, while an uncontrollable ex- 
pression of awful misery convulsed for a moment the 
haughty lines of his face, the condor of the Andes 
hastens to a love tryst with the Rose of Riniac! 


BOOK V. 


For Liberty and Life. 


CHAPTER XXIL 

A RECKONING WITH PRINCE PAULLO. 

Mournful and melancholy, in truth, were the minds 
of the chief personages in the little band that now 
hastened by forced marches to gain the hidden capital 
of the Peruvians. Isabel, her thoughts relieved from 
the strain of the exciting events that had of late en- 
grossed them, had full leisure to dwell upon the uncer- 
tain fate of her father and the undoubted perils that 
must of necessity now surround him. Howard, accus- 
tomed though he was to changes of fortune, could 
scarcely contemplate unmoved the downfall of his 
ambitious hopes. The Inca Manco, while outwardly 
preserving his usual stoical demeanor, mourned deeply 
in his secret heart the slaying of the Rose of Rimac. 
As for Roaring Richard Ruggles, from the morning 
of the second day’s travel his bearing was sullen and 
irritable. The supply of liquor was exhausted. 

They made the journey at the highest speed they 
could attain, beginning the daily march at sunrise, con- 
tinuing their progress until late at night. The Inca 
had with him but an hundred of his bodyguard, and 
though they were picked warriors, trained in many 
combats, he wished for no encounter with the troops 
of the viceroy. A band of fugitives from the broken 
army of Almagro, a score in number, and led by the 
vacillating Gomez Perez, had fallen in with them dur- 
ing the first day of the flight. But even with this 
formidable addition to their strength they had no desire 
for further battle, and the hearts of all were rejoiced 


^ THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 227 

I when finally, upon the afternoon of a glorious autumn 
■ day, they passed through the great tunnel in the moun- 
tain, and, emerging upon the farther side, saw the ^un- 
* light flashing back from the lake and the white dwell- 
f ings of the city below them. 

Their coming had been announced by a swift Indian 
, runner, sent before them ; and ere they reached the 
plain a great array of citizens and soldiers poured 
; from the gates of the town to greet the Inca’s return. 

. The troops of Prince Paullo had been conducted back 
to the capital immediately after the battle on the Plains 
of Chupas, and that gallant commander, with a nu- 
merous following of Inca nobles, was the first to wel- 
come his brother. Howard, angered though he could 
, not but be at sight of his treacherous fellow-general, 
received the smiling advances of the prince with pleas- 
j ant composure. That a final reckoning between them 
would one day arrive he felt sure; nor did he dread 
f the outcome. 

I The Inca passed at once through the city and has- 

I tened to gain the seclusion of the palace. Howard and 
Ruggles with their own attendants took possession 
of the house given to the former by the sovereign, 
who had informed the adventurer as they descended 
the mountain that all things were prepared in the man- 
sion for its master’s coming. To Isabel the royal Man- 
1 CO courteously offered a refuge beneath his own roof ; 

I but she, wisely deciding that under the present con- 
: dition of affairs the proprieties became of secondary 
importance, determined not to be separated from her 
- countrymen. The most comfortable apartments 
r in Grafton’s dwelling were set aside for her use. 

Gomez Perez and his sadly wearied followers, how- 
1 ever, accompanied the Inca to the palace, where they 
j were installed in quarters similar to those of the royal 
guards. All were so broken by fatigue that they cared 
; little for the wonders of the city. 

^ Tired though he himself felt, Grafton Howard had 
\ no intention of allowing his promise to the Princess 
^ Oelfo to be broken. He felt sure that night after night, 
j during his absence, the sister of the Inca had visited 
, the lake shore and gazed hungrily over the waters for 
sight of his approaching canoe, while, with all the 


228 THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. |[ 

power of her noble nature, she had besought the gods 
of her people to bring back to her in safety the white 
warrior who held her heart in his keeping. 

The adventurer told himself that the arrival of their 
party must have been observed from the Sacred Isle. 
And at all events the returning of their king must 
have been made known to the priests, wdth mention 
of the fact that white men accompanied him. Ruggles 
and he were too well known throughout the army to 
escape being named, and Oello must know by this 
time, he thought, while he sat at supper with Isabel 
and Dick, that he had come back. That night of all 
nights his princess would not fail to be at the trysting- 
place ; and his whole being throbbed with the desire 
to enfold her once more in his strong embrace. 

Scarcely could the impatient cavalier wait for the , 
arrival of darkness. Almost before it was prudent for J 
him to go forth he had slipped away from the house 
and, clad in his garb of a Peruvian chieftain, was strid- 
ing eagerly toward the quay where the canoes were 
moored. 

The frail bark that had served him so often upon 
the same errand he found in the very place he had 
left it, and, leaping aboard, he cast loose the painter 
with fingers that trembled from eagerness. Soon, very , 
soon, his heart sang, he would stand once more in the ^ 
presence of his beloved. 

With mighty sweeps of the paddle he drove the canoe 
out into the lake. Every vigorous stroke was bring- 
ing him nearer to his heart’s desire — each yard of dim- 
ly glistening water passed over diminished the distance 
between him and well-nigh perfect happiness. Yonder, 
beneath the trees borne by that consecrated ground, 
awaited his true love, impatient of every second that j 
delayed his coming, her tender heart brimful of an I 
affection whose generous outpouring would go far to" 
assuage the pangs of late defeat. On, then, to her ; 
arms ! On, to kneel at her feet ; to pour into her sym- ' 
pathetic ears the story of all that had befallen him 
since last they parted, to find in her true and unchang- ; 
ing love a recompense for the coward treachery of her 
countrymen ! Oh, that the canoe had wings ! 

Of a sudden in the dark before him the same dancing 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


229 


flame that had greeted his eyes upon the night of his 
memorable swim flashed once more upon his vision. 
From the same spot upon the island it shone, he was 
confident, and the sight of that bright speck amid the 
night made his heart leap with joyful anticipation. 
She had not failed him, she had not forgotten. Be- 
side that fluttering light she doubtless reclined, singing 
again that haunting refrain that had so charmed his 
soul when first he heard her voice. In the shadows 
her lovely image seemed to rise before his mind; he 
could see her glorious eyes gleaming unfathomable 
tenderness upon him ; could note the passionate swell 
of her rounded throat as she breathed his name ; could 
feel her superbly modeled arms about his neck, the 
warmth of her perfumed lips upon his own. 

His eyes fixed upon the fire, Grafton paddled on, 
muffling his strokes more by instinct than by any need 
for caution impressed upon his ardent brain. The 
bottom of the canoe grated gently upon the beach, and 
the Englishman sprang silently to the shore at last, 
scarce pausing to draw the boat high up on the pebbly 
earth before hastening toward the flame. 

And then the thought came to him to steal quietly 
toward where she waited, to come upon her unawares, 
to feast his eyes for a few blissful seconds of delayed 
rapture with the glory of her beloved countenance. 
Stealthily, lithely as some wild denizen of the forest, 
some wary hunter in advance upon his quarry, the 
adventurer passed without noise amid the underbrush, 
and in a few moments was gazing with glowing eyes 
upon the familiar glade whose every blade of grass 
seemed stamped upon his memory. 

As when he had first seen the place, the fire of sacred 
fagots burned merrily away upon the sward, its leap- 
ing flame outlining in the night the trunks of the circle 
of surrounding trees. 

Beyond the blaze, likewise, the white-clad figure lay 
motionless with face to the earth, absorbed undoubtedly 
in fervent invocation to the gods. But as yet no chant 
arose in the night air ; save for the occasional snap of a 
stick, crackling under the heat, the glade was voiceless 
as the tomb. 

Restraining his impulse to leap across the few inter- 


230 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


veiling 3^ards of ground that lay between them and 
raise the princess to a resting-place upon his broad 
chest, the Englishman waited, expecting at every in- 
stant to hear the beginning of the song of Oello. The 
seconds fled by, grew into minutes, and still there came 
no sound from the form by the fire. Grafton felt that 
he could wait no longer. 

“ Oello ! ” he called in low and joyous accents, step- 
ping from the shadowy bush that had until then con- 
cealed him into the full glow“of the firelight — “ Oello, 
I am here ! ” 

No answer was returned to his passionate though 
guarded cry. The girl did not even raise her head. 
Lost to all things but the strength of her supplications, 
Howard decided, she marked not her lover's presence. 
With a few swift strides the adventurer gained the 
side of his mistress, feeling that not for one second 
more could he defer the joy of that long-looked-for 
meeting. 

In one ecstatic sweep of his mighty arms he caught 
her graceful body from the earth, strained her tenderly 
against his breast, and stood as if frozen dumb by 
horror. The form within his embrace was cold and 
lifeless — the arms of Grafton Howard held a corpse ! 

Mechanically the Englishman straightened those 
powerful limbs, holding the dead body of the Princess 
Oello at arms’ length away from him, and gazed like 
one demented upon what the flare of the fagots re- 
vealed. The long tresses of her luxuriant hair swept 
across and concealed from view the lovely face that 
drooped upon her bosom. The front of the white robe 
was dark and soiled with blood. Eoul murder had 
ended the life of the sister of the Inca. 

For how long a time he knew not, Howard remained 
in that stony posture, staring with wide eyes at all that 
was mortal of the darling queen of his hopes and 
affections. At length, tenderly and with great care, he 
laid her gently back upon the earth and sank upon his 
knees beside her. The straining, glaring eyeballs grew 
blurred and misty in their vision; the fiercely com- 
pressed lips shook and relaxed ; sobs, terrible to hear in 
their grief, forced themselves from his breast, and, 
bowing his head, the Englishman gave full vent to his 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


231 


sorrow in scalding tears that seemed to sear, like molten 
lead, the sunburned cheeks down which they rolled. 
Bending his powerful frame above the corpse of his 
beloved, the strong man quivered in his solitary agony. 

“ Murdered ! Murdered ! ” 

The word was framed and voiced over and over 
again in his throbbing heart, though his trembling lips 
did not articulate. His love, his princess, the being 
he had adored above all others, lay there, struck down 
in all the pride of her youth and beauty, the innocent 
victim of the assassin’s knife. What hand had done 
the deed ? He would know ! He would find out ! And 
when he found the slayer of Oello — Grafton leaped to 
his feet and looked a curse toward the stars. 

His hands raised high above his head with out- 
stretched palms, the Englishman launched his mute 
oath of vengeance to one of the four quarters of the 
heavens. His unspoken vow completed, he whirled 
upon his heel to repeat his savage pledge to a second.. 
That movement saved his life. 

Across his chest there ran a burn like the touch of 
a red-hot iron, as a javelin, hurled by a powerful arm, 
passed beneath the silver scales of his cuirass and stuck 
there quivering, caught in the armor. The adventurer 
reeled, grasped the shaft, tore it forth and then 
dropped heavily to the ground. 

Forth from the trees that bounded the glade on the 
side toward the temples, a Peruvian warrior, in all his 
war-gear, sprang, his laugh of triumph ringing harsh 
upon the night. 

Toward the prostrate pair he rushed, but recoiled 
with an exclamation of ferocious dismay as Grafton 
Howard rose suddenly to his feet and sternly con- 
fronted him, the short sword he wore drawn in his 
hand and a smile of stern contentment upon his lips. 

“ ’Twas an old trick. Prince Paullo,” the adventurer 
said grimly, his eyes devouring with greedy satisfac- 
tion the countenance of his enemy. ‘‘ Skilled as I know 
you to be, I should hardly have thought to have de- 
ceived you by using it.” 

The brother of the Inca was quick to recover from 
the unexpected revival of his supposed victim. 

“ You white hound ! ” he hissed, furiously, glaring 


232 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


at the Englishman with the eye of a baffled demon. 
" You bear a charmed life, then ! By Pachacamac ! I 
deemed my throw sure ! ” 

“ A knife used upon an unresisting victim suits 
you better, it would seem,” Grafton returned, motion- 
ing with his blade to the body of the Princess Oello. 
“ That, without doubt, is your work.” 

“Aye, my work it is, and thoroughly done, too,” the 
unabashed Paullo cried exultantly. ” Made mad, 
crazed by her guilty passion for you, a love that was 
sacrilege against the laws of both her gods and her 
nation, my sister would not heed my words of warning. 
Against my command she came forth to meet you to- 
night. I followed, and saw her prepare and light the 
•consecrated fagots she had stolen from the temple. I 
heard her begin an invocation to our dieties; I recog- 
nized the song our maidens sing when they wish the 
gods to bring to them the men they love. Knowing 
by this that she had disregarded my wishes, I stabbed 
her without pity or regret, offering her guilty soul as a 
propitiatory sacrifice to the outraged shades of our 
ancestors. She merited her death, for she was false 
to my brother Manco, whose v/ife she was destined to 
become, and false to her religion when she, a Virgin of 
the Sun, permitted you, a stranger, to come to the 
Sacred Isle! ‘Tis your last visit, though, for you shall 
never leave it alive. Throw down your sword and 
prepare to die ! Your time is short ! ” 

As he spoke the last words Prince Paullo menacingly 
waved a heavy Peruvian battle-ax above his head. 

Calmly and contemptuously Grafton Howard had 
listened to the haughty speech of the Indian, who thus 
justified the murder of his sister. 

” I have heard you to the end. Prince, and I have but 
little to say in reply,” he answered in deliberate tones. 
“ As a punisher of treachery, you, who deserted me 
upon the field of battle, are assuredly aptly fitted for 
the work. As the assassin of your sister — but words 
fail me, deeds must answer. Prince Paullo, have you 
the heart in your cowardly body to face me man to 
man ? Or must I stab you in the back as you fly ? ” 

“ I fear no man living in single combat,” Paullo re- 
joined, proudly. “Alone I will fight you, alone I will 
slay you.” 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


233 


Grafton Howard smiled placidly into the vigilant 
eyes of the Peruvian noble. 

I think you are about to die/’ he said, quietly. 

With the leap of a tiger, Paullo was upon him al- 
most ere the words had left his lips. As the Prince 
bounded within striking distance, he brought down his 
ax in a sweeping blow, making his hand keep accurate 
time with his foot, to give full force to the stroke. 

Adroitly the adventurer evaded the attack, springing 
quickly to one side. He had not a chance to dash in 
upon the Indian, however, for Paullo turned with Re- 
markable celerity, and, attacking once more, discharged 
a rapid succession of vicious slashes, up and down, 
from right to left, all following so speedily that the 
quickness of Howard was taxed to the utmost to es- 
cape them. 

The Englishman had underrated the skill of his an- 
tagonist. With another lightning-like spring the Pe- 
ruvian came within striking distance and sent his ax 
savagely home. The weighty head of the weapon 
dashed the short sword of Howard to fragments, swept 
down upon his helmet and was turned aside by that 
stout defense. Upward rose the ax once more, de- 
scending with all the force of Paullo behind it. But 
the adventurer reached out both hands and caught the 
handle near the head in mid-air, arresting the blow in 
its progress. One terrible concentration of his mus- 
cles Grafton Howard made, and exerting all his 
strength he wrenched the ax from the hand of Paullo. 

The cry for aid uttered by the prince was lost in the 
shout that rang like the roar of a victorious lion from 
the chest of the Englishman. 

When the guards arrived, they found the headless 
body of Prince Paullo lying beside the dead Princess 
Oello. From the lake there came to their ears the 
splash of a paddle that rapidly receded from the Sacred 
Isle. 


234 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE BALSA ! 

The adventurer regained his dwelling unobserved. 
Had it not been for the thought of Isabel and Roaring 
Dick, he would have awaited the coming of the guards 
beside the dead form of his beloved, and have perished 
there, fighting desperately to the last. But the remem- 
brance of the daughter of his old commander and the 
faithful seaman who had followed him for so many 
years flashed through his brain, and he felt that it 
would be cowardly to leave them alone in the midst of 
a barbarian people whom any moment might convert 
from kindly disposed friends to relentless enemies. 
Therefore he made his escape and hastened with all 
speed back to the city ; but not to sleep. The rising of 
the sun found Grafton Howard still pacing moodily 
back and forth across the floor of his stone-walled bed- 
chamber. 

When the Englishman noted that day had dawned, 
he summoned Richard Ruggles to aid him in donning 
the complete armor of proof that he had worn during 
the short campaign of Almagro. 

“You had best get into your own fighting-gear, too, 
Dick,” he commanded, as the mariner fastened his gor- 
get. “I know not what events may come to pass this 
morning; but until my return you must not lose sight 
of mistress Isabel I know that you will die ere you 
see harm come to her.” 

“Aye, that I will, Cap’n Grafton,” sturdily rejoined 
the devoted Dick. “Be easy on that head. But you — 
where be you thinkin’ o’ makin’ a voyage to ? ” 

“I go to the palace, Dick. Have Pelayo ready for 
me by the time I have finished a few mouthfuls of 
food.” 

“An’ a small drink, too, I hopes, Cap’n Grafton. 
Naught disposes one’s brain for dealin’ wi’ kings like 
a good draught o’ liquor in the mornin’,” Richard ad- 
vised, as he left the room. 

His simple breakfast Howard dispatched in a few 
moments, for he felt little inclined to eat. Taking up 
a parcel covered with scarlet cloth from a corner and 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


235 


concealing it beneath his mantle, he descended to the 
courtyard, where the roan Pelayo was held in readiness 
for him to mount. 

Leaping unaided to the saddle despite the fact that he 
wore armor — a proof in those days of uncommon bodi- 
( ly strength — he galloped across the city and along the 
I road that led to the palace. 

The guards at the gates of the royal residence, long 
accustomed to have the Englishman present himself 
» and demand audience of the sovereign at all hours of 
j the day— for Manco was ever accessible to the instruc- 
■ tor of his army — admitted him without question, and, 
' leaving Pelayo in the hands of a s-ervant before the 
great portico, Howard was at once conducted to the 
Inca. 

' Manco received him in the audience-room he knew 
. so well of old, and upon Grafton’s requesting of him a 
^ confidential interview, he immediately ordered his at- 
tendants to withdraw. 

“We are alone, now, my Englishman,” the monarch 
said listlessly, as the last noble backed from his pres- 
ence. “What would you ask of meHo-day?” 

The prince looked as if he, likewise, had passed a 
sleepless night. His eyes were sunken in his head, 
and shone with a feverish, unhealthy glitter. 

• “I come to ask for nothing, my king,” Grafton an- 
j swered. “ On the contrary, I have a tale to tell you. 
j But for fear of wearying your ears, I would know ere 
i I begin if aught of what I would say be known to you. 

. Has your majesty ever suspected that I loved your 
■' sister, the Princess Oello ?” 

“ If you came to tell me that, you need not proceed,” 

• Manco said, a kindly light in his eyes, and the ghost of 
; a smile on his lips. “ I knew it many weeks ago ; and, 
i though I suppose I should have been wrathful and 
i have punished you both, I did not care. I like you, 

I my white hero, and I have always been your friend. 

Would you have the girl for your wife? If you wish it, 
she shall be yours.” - 

Tears rose to the adventurer’s eyes as the monarch 
: spoke; but he forced them back, saying in low, firm 
I tones : 

J “I thank you, my king, but what you offer me can 


236 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


never be. I am here to tell you the reason. The Prin- 
cess Oello died last night, slain by the hand of a cow- 
ard.” 

The Inca bounded from the throne where he had re- 
clined, and stood surveying Howard with the glare of 
a wrathful lion. 

“ Murdered ! ” he exclaimed in an awful voice. “You 
jest ! But no — your words are true, you never lie ! By 
Pachacamac ! call the guards at once! We will have 
speedy vengeance upon her slayer !” 

“ Justice is already done, my king. Behold ! ” and, 
producing the bundle he carried from beneath his cloak, 
Grafton Howard quickly unrolled the cloth and 
dropped the gory head of the Prince Paullo at the feet 
of his brother. 

The Inca Manco had been long schooled to repress 
all evidences of his emotions. With an impassive 
glance he regarded the ghastly relic of the night before, 
then threw himself once more upon the gold-embroid- 
ered cushions of his throne, and, fixing an attentive 
gaze upon the adventurer, said quietly : 

“ Tell me all. I will hear you to the end.” 

The stern composure of Grafton Howard was greatly 
moved at the king’s tone of confidence. Giving full 
sway to his feelings, he opened his heart, recounting 
all the circumstances of his relations with the Princess 
Oello ; avowing the pure and knightly passion he had 
entertained for her ; his hopes for their happy union ; 
his emotions while hastening to meet her only a few 
hours before ; his terrible grief at finding her dead ; the 
struggle with Paullo, and the slaying of that assassin. 
At times in the narration the Englishman’s voice fal- 
tered and broke utterly, while the royal Manco did not 
disdain to cover his eyes with his hand. When Graf- 
ton ceased, the monarch, rising, approached him, and, 
laying his hand upon the white man’s shoulder, said 
kindly : 

“You have justified your deed, my hero ; in fact, you 
have but forestalled my own vengeance. For, had 
Paullo been ten times over my brother, I would have 
had his life for his willful disobedience to my positive 
command. I bade him not to molest you and Oello. 
He has paid the penalty for his rebellious act.’’ 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


237 


“ You will sustain my course, then, Inca? ” Grafton 
asked, in a somewhat surprised voice. 

“ There will be no need for the priests and the people 
to know who slew my brother,’^ the Inca returned, 
calmly. “ You were not seen, and the deaths of both 
Paullo and Oello may be ascribed to the mysterious 
hand that dispatched the Villac Vmu. Who did that 
deed has never been known. I myself had my sus- 
picions, but I was not sure until you confessed it just 
now.” 

‘‘ You knew that I killed the high priest ! And yet 
you spared me ! ” Howard cried, in astonishment. 

“ Oh, I could get along very well without him. Any 
Inca noble can be made into a Villac Vmu, and my 
new one is more to my taste than the old,” Manco re- 
joined, carelessly. “ But with you, my Englishman, it 
is different. I have a feeling that you have been sent 
to me by the gods, that with your aid my plans against 
the invaders who wrongfully hold the lands of my 
fathers may be yet successfully carried out. Think 
not that the defection of my troops from the standard 
of Almagro was treachery to you. The chiefs obeyed 
my orders to leave you, if you persisted in advancing, it 
is true, but they will as faithfully serve under you 
when you again have command of my armies. For 
my general you shall be once more. Beside my idea 
that you are to be inseparably connected with my final 
triumph, I have a great afection for you. I have 
known you as a subordinate and as a friend ; I have 
struggled body to body with you in personal combat, 
and never have I knov/n the man I fancied more than I 
do you.” 

“ We have fought, you and I, my king! But where, 
and when ? ” murmured the amazed Grafton. 

” Recall you not your moonlight wrestle at the moun- 
tain home of the old Sefior Shoreham ? ” Manco said, 
with a mournful laugh. ” I had flattered myself that 
I gave you hard enough work to be at least remem- 
bered. For your antagonist that night was myself.” 

” Indeed, I have never forgotten the’ might of your 
hug, my king,” the adventurer returned, smiling also. 
“ But to find that my strange adversary was the Inca 
of Peru, is indeed curious news.” 


238 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


“ You will not think so when I have told you some 
things that I have decided to divulge to you,” the mon- 
arch said, gravely. “ The story of your love you have 
given to me, freely, and without reserve. In confiding 
to you the secrets of my own heart, I feel that I will be 
doing no unwise thing. For I would bind you to me, 
white warrior, by the closest ties that man may con- 
ceive. Listen, and learn if the sorrow that tortures 
your soul to-day has not its mate in the heart of him 
who rules the Children of the Sun.” 

Silent and attentive Grafton Howard stood listening 
for many moments, while the Inca Manco, dropping 
the mask of his habitual reserve, poured into the ears of ' 
his friencT the long recital of his infatuation for the 
Rose of Rimac. As he told how the mad fury roused 
within him, as he had heard the full measure of her 
perfidy disclosed by her own lips during her conversa- 
tion with Howard upon the ledge, had caused him to 
requite her false conduct to himself with his deadly 
arrow, Manco bowed his head upon his breast. 

" I have ever been unfortunate in love of women,” 
he concluded, mournfully. " The first who held my 
heart was an Inca maiden, whom the customs of our 
dynasty gave me as bride. Her I distinguished above 
the other women of my household, sparing no pains to 
show the esteem in which I held her. When I was 
prisoner to Francisco Pizarro — who now groans in the 
realms of everlasting night — she shared my captivity. 
The officers of the tyrant found her fair. In a short 
time she was their common property. The memory of 
her has been erased, though, from my heart by the 
blood of many of the race of her seducers.” 

^ Aye, you have done much harm to the men of 
Spain, my king,” assented Howard. “ I can under- 
stand now that you have better cause than I had im- 
agined.” 

“Cause! Call you that cause, my white general? 
Listen to another tale of my treatment by the Span- 
iards, and judge if my heart has not been deeply har- 
rowed by their demon cruelty. After I had held Her- 
nando Pizarro penned up for months in Cuzco, I was 
compelled for lack of provisions to raise the siege and 
retire to the mountains. The Marquis Francisco — 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


239 


curses upon him ! — sent reinforcements to the city, 
cavalry, too, under his brother Gonzalo. That chief, 
enterprising and daring as was ever Spaniard, made 
frequent incursions against my people. In one of his 
expeditions he captured the most beautiful of all my 
queens, the woman upon whom my affections were then 
concentrated. About the same time the accursed Fran- 
cisco Pizarro sent an envoy to seek me, a negro serv- 
ant of whom he was very fond. A band of my war- 
riors happened upon the embassador’s party among the 
hills, and not knowing the character of his mission, 
they slew the whole company. The rage of the mar- 
ci^iis — may Cupay hold him now — was fearful to wit- 
ness, they say, when he learned of his favorite’s fate. 
His revenge was that of Satan himself. He took my 
wife, that delicate, high-born ’Peruvian girl, tied her, 
stripped to the skin, to the trunk of a tree, had her 
scourged before all his forces and then shot to death 
with arrows. Even some of the demons who called 
him leader, cried ‘ shame ! ’ upon the deed.” 

“ Diabolical ! ” muttered Howard. 

“ Yes, but what can you expect from the Spaniards? 
You can see now, my hero, why I hate them so fiercely. 
You can understand why I take no shame to have 
broken faith with Almagro — for he has Spanish blood 
in his veins. Oh, we will serve them many a trick to- 
gether, my friend, and bathe deep in their gore before 
they, have done with us, and — ha ! what noise is that ? 
what means this intrusion ? ” 

The heavy curtain that veiled the door was rudely 
torn aside and through the entrance rushed several 
Inca nobles, shouting to their king to flee. A tumult 
of mingled cries and groans resounded from the corri- 
dor, and Gomez Perez, followed by his countrymen, 
precipitated themselves into the apartment. Most of 
the Spaniards were fully armed, although a few were 
without their helmets and cuirasses, appearing as if 
new-risen from their slumbers. The swords of all 
were drawn, however, and many of the naked weapons 
streamed with blood. 

“ He is here ! the head devil of this nest of miscreants 
we have found, my comrades ! ” Perez cried, loudly. 
Disordered and wild was the Spaniard’s appearance, in 


240 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


his eyes shone the vicious desperation of a cornered 
rat. “ Hold the door for a few minutes, amigos! He, 
at least, shall die ! *’ 

Four or five of the Men of Chile turned to face the 
leaders of a swarm of the royal guards, who were close 
at their heels. On the instant the clash of arms re- 
sounded in the doorway and a furious conflict began 
there, the Spaniards resisting the efforts of the Peru- 
vians to make their way to the Inca’s side. 

In a flash, Manco understood the situation. The 
priests, discovering the bodies of Paullo and Oello, had 
laid their deaths to the anger of their deities because 
of the presence of white men in the valley. Without 
his knowledge, they had come to the palace and incited 
the guards to the massacre of the strangers. Was it 
too late to undo their work? He feared so, but never- 
theless he determined to make the attempt. 

Springing to a standing position upon his throne he 
called in a voice of thunder : 

“ Back from the door, there, and let the white men 
be unmolested! Your Inca commands it, do you 
hear ? ” 

The guardsmen, recognizing his voice, would have 
desisted, but at that moment Gomez Perez, rushing 
forward, plunged his sword deep into the body of Man- 
co, and with a wrathful cry the last of the Incas sank 
dying to the floor. 

''Santiago! upon them, comrades, their king is 
dead ! ” yelled the Spaniard, brandishing his stream- 
ing weapon. “ Strike, while they are still amazed, and 
we may yet ” 

The speech of Gomez Perez was never flnished. The 
heavy sword of Grafton Howard sprang from its scab- 
bard, as he saw the monarch fall. Venomously the 
long blade sang in the air, and before its vengeful 
sweep the exulting Spaniard went down, cleft from the 
crown of his head clear to his waist-belt. The Eng- 
lishman had never dealt a blow more terrible. 

An awful roar burst from the Peruvians, as they saw 
the slaying of their king. Savagely as they had been 
fighting before, they now seemed insane with rage. 
Though they fell in heaps before the gallantly wielded 
blades of the Spaniards, they forced them back from 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 241 

the door, and swarmed into the room. Those of the 
Men of Chile who were unprotected by mail were 
speedily bleeding from numerous wounds. Some two 
or three were already down, hacked to pieces by the 
vicious blows of the Indian battle-axes. 

Howard, for his part, bent to raise the head of the 
dying Manco, after slaying his assassin. The Inca 
opened his glazing eyes and smiled kindly at his friend. 
But ere the king could speak, Grafton received a heavy 
blow upon the head, .that only his good steel casque 
prevented from being fatal. 

Reeling to his feet, the adventurer found that he had 
been assailed by a gigantic warrior of the royal guard. 
He called to the man to forebear, but the frenzied 
Indian answered only by a whirl of his great mace. 
Forced in self-defense to slay, the Englishman grimly 
drove his weapon home. But in a moment he was set 
upon by a dozen others, whose furious strokes re- 
sounded from his coat of proof. Seeing that the Men 
of Chile, without a leader, must soon be overpowered, 
and knowing that he would inevitably share their fate, 
the adventurer cried : 

“To me, soldiers of Almagro! Band together and 
shake off your assailants ! ” 

Madly plying their blades, the Spaniards succeed- 
ed in cutting their paths to his side. With a cry to 
follow, Howard led them through the door that opened 
on the small portico. Once outside they formed and 
made their way amid a crowd of accompanying 
enemies around the palace, across the lawn before the 
great entrance, and down to the shore of the lake. 

Howard had hoped to find boats of some kind there, 
but no boat was on the beach, though out upon the 
waters was visible the sail of an approaching balsa. 

Desperately he called to his men to face about and 
fight to the last. A struggle grim and bloodly then set 
in, the guards dying by scores, yet still pressing on, 
while every unarmored Almagrian was pulled down 
separately and cut to pieces. 

Those clad in mail were failing fast. Their sword 
arms drooped with fatigue; their breath was almost 
spent. A hearty English cheer, ringing on the air, 
came to them from the lake, and the balsa came rushing 


242 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


to the shore. Guiding the craft were Roaring Dick 
and Isabel Shoreham. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

SAVED BY THE SACRED BELT. 

“ Aboard wi’ you, Cap’n Grafton ! aboard, brothers, 
all ! ” shouted the bold mariner. “ Be quick, I say, we 
has no time to waste ! The canoes from the city be 
hard after us ! ” 

Eagerly the remainder of the white men leaped on 
board of the great raft, Grafton How ard the last. 
Those of the Peruvians who attempted to follow were 
cut down, and the balsa was shoved out into the water 
once more. The skillful Richard trimmed the sail, 
and before a steady breeze the craft ploughed its way 
upon the bosom of the lake. 

" Just in time, Dick,” the adventurer said, hoarsely — 
for he was well out of breath. “ How happens it that 
you came to our relief ? ” 

“ ‘Twas all along o’ a friend o’ mine, that captain in 
the guards, what you has known me to drink with, 
Cap’n Grafton,” Ruggles answered, grinning. . He 
comes to the house not an hour since and tells me 
that there is the devil to pay at the palace, that 
the priests is eggin’ on the soldiers to kill all the white 
men an’ advises me to make sail an’ get away afore the 
news reaches the city. So I takes Mistress Isabel 
down to the lake an’ we seizes this here balsa. An’ I 
steers for the palace, for I knows you be there an’ I 
fears you may not ha’ the time to mount Pelayo. An’ 
sure enough, I was not wrong in my reckonin’.” 

“ Poor Pelayo ! I fear I shall never see him again, 
Dick,” the Englishman said, sadly. And Grafton 
Howard was right. Never more was he to set eyes on 
his gallant roan. 

“ But what’s to be done now, Cap’n Grafton ? ” 
Richard urged. “ How shall I lay the course? See! ” 
pointing across The water in the direction where 
gleamed the distant white walls of the town, “ yonder 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


243 


come a fleet of canoes, an’ they be filled wi’ bloody- 
minded savages ! ” 

Earnestly Grafton’s eyes followed the outstretched 
finger, and he saw that Roaring Dick had spoken the 
truth. Half a hundred large canoes filled with Peru- 
vians were racing swiftly toward them, and he could 
already distinguish the warriors brandishing their 
bows and lances, while the rowers strained vigorously 
at the paddles. 

From the fleet of their enemies, Howard’s glance 
turned to the face of Isabel Shoreham. The girl was 
very white, but she met his look with a brave smile, 
while she reached out her hand and silently laid it in 
his own. 

The face of the adventurer hardened grimly, as 
he gently pressed her delicate fingers. Come what 
may, if it lay within his power, he must save Isabel ! 

“ Steer for the Sacred Isle, Dick,” he muttered in 
the attentive ear of Ruggles. “If we can gain the 
temple of the Sun God, I think there may be a chance 
for Isabel and ourselves. For us alone, remember. As 
for the Spaniards, they must die there. I can’t save 
them, and one English girl is worth their whole na- 
tion.” 

“ Right you be, Cap’n Grafton,” cheerily returned 
Roaring Dick. “ Damn the Dons ! so long as we saves 
our own timbers ! ” 

“ Pay strict heed to my motions when we land, then,” 
cautioned his commander. “We’ll take Isabel between 
us and protect her with our shields. And we had best 
do that now, for by St. George ! the dogs will be within 
arrow-shot very soon ! ” 

The words of the adventurer were speedily justified, 
for within a few moments the arrows sent from the 
rapidly approaching canoes were hissing about the 
raft. Many struck the bodies of the white men, falling 
harmlessly away from their steel-clad forms. A wall 
of shields and armored men protected Isabel. 

The natives did not confine their efforts at destroy- 
ing to the distant hail of missiles. Straight up to the 
halsa the rowers gallantly carried the canoes, and once 
alongside the warriors daringly attempted to board. 
The wearied and wounded limbs of the cavaliers were 


244 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


not allowed to stiffen. Fierce and deadly was the 
fray, and the foaming waters that surged about the 
staggering craft ran dark with blood. Like a stout 
horse endeavoring to escape a band of. famished wolves 
the balsa lurched along, the accompanying canoes hang- 
ing untiringly upon its flanks. Again and again the 
determined Peruvians poured in upon the desperate 
little knot of white men, while an unceasing rain of 
arrows and javelins whizzed upon the raft from every 
side. Thus fiercely struggling they bore down toward 
the Sacred Isle. 

As they neared the shore they could see the soldiers 
that watched over the safety of the dwellings of their 
gods forming to dispute their landing. A swarm of 
red-clad priests also thronged the beach, while here 
and there among the trees glanced the white robe of a 
Virgin of the Sun, drawn by womanly curiosity to a 
scene of such excitement. 

'' Caballeros! Howard shouted to the Men of Chile, 
"when we land, follow me ! One successful charge, 
and we win to safety ! Possessed of their principal 
temple, we can make our own terms. They will not 
commit the sacrilege of assaulting us within the holy 
walls ! 

The Spaniards answered his words by a cheer, feeble 
yet resolute. 

Roaring Richard Ruggles winked gravely to him- 
self. Raising a flask that hung suspended about his 
neck by a strap above his corselet, he drained it to the 
bottom. 

“ I got the last drop o’ that, anyway,” he muttered 
under his breath. “ If I dies, the heathens sha’n’t have 
it.” 

Then, raising the huge ax he always wielded with 
such terrible effect, he stood prepared for the rush into 
the mass of the foe. 

The balsa struck the shore. 

With a wild yell, each man crying to his patron saint, 
the Men of Chile followed Howard and Roaring Dick, 
who, with Isabel between them, headed the charge. 

Stoutly the warders of the isle met them hand to 
hand, but the energy of despair inspired the arms of the 
white men. The long sword of Grafton and the 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


245 


death-dealing ax of Ruggles opened a bloody road 
through the opposing ranks. Surely they forced their 
way, smiting the strongest warriors to the ground and 
trampling them underfoot. Striving to save their 
countrywoman, the two Englishmen fought as reck- 
lessly as if all the forces of their own stout island home 
were at their backs. Combating for their own lives, 
the Almagrians who still lived, struck only a shade less 
effectively. 

Back from the beach the struggle slowly surged. 
The warriors from the canoes had followed hotly in the 
' wake of their almost certain victims, and now closed in 
! behind them. In among the trees and along the wide 
avenue that led to the temples the small knot of steel- 
clad desperados made their way, the center of a crowd 
of raving savages, who battled furiously, but in vain, 
to stay their course. Before the greatly superior 
weapons of the whites the dusky braves of the Inca 
j legions fell every moment, while corselet and helm of 
proof turned aside the edges of their ruder arms. 
Great was the loss suffered by the Indians, yet soldier 
and priest alike never ceased to offer their best blood 
to the deadly steel that slew them. 

Vainly they died, for Howard and Ruggles still clove 
their gory path, the Men of Chile still doggedly wielded 
their swords behind the Englishmen. In front of the 
adventurer and his faithful henchmen a constantly 
changing wall of savage faces, brandished arms, 

■ bronzed bodies ill-protected by their primitive attempts 
at armor, continuously moved and shifted. Mechani- 
. cally they struck and struck again, never ceasing the 
monotonous swinging of their right arms, while with 
a vigilance that seemed inspired of heaven they guard- 
ed Isabel from every harm. Silent, white-faced and 
steady-eyed, the maiden kept pace with her defenders. 

Across the open space beyond the grove they won 
their road, gaining every step by savage play of sword 
and axe. The wall of the temple of the Sun god rose 
! before them. Priests and soldiers together, fanatic in 
> the defense of what they worshiped, disputed the door 
— again in vain. 

' Hewing them down one by one, Howard and Dick 
^ carried Isabel along with them through the entrance. 

? At their backs the remainder of the Spaniards stag- 


246 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


gered in, the Peruvians still showering upon them a 
continuous rain of blows. To the very shrines of the 
gods the warriors pursued the profaners of the sanc- 
tuary. They should perish at the feet of the outraged 
divinities ! 

Around the gold-decked mummies of the departed 
Incas, beneath the flickering glare of the Sacred Flame, 
the conflict raged with unabated violence. The ser- 
vants of the god, weird and fantastic in their gorgeous- 
ly bedizened dresses, mingled with the soldiers and 
died with them beneath the blows of the invaders. Fit- 
fully flashing in the changing light, the Girdle of the 
God cast beams of alternate green and crimson into 
the eyes of devotee and Christian alike, serenely stead- 
fast and immovable in its glory of priceless gems. 

Howard had won his way to the side of the idol. He 
thrust Isabel behind the altar. 

“ Now, Dick, strike your best ! St. George for Eng- 
land ! ” he roared, hoarsely. 

Together they made such a furious onslaught upon 
the crowding savages that even those frenzied barbar- 
ians were abashed, and turned their backs in flight be- 
fore them. 

“ Quick, follow me ! ” shouted Grafton to Ruggles. 

Turning, he rushed to Isabel, caught her up in his 
arms and leaped behind the curtain he had once passed 
with Princess Oello. 

The door was there as of old, he dashed on into the 
gloom of the subterranean passage. Down the steps 
he clattered ; but at the bottom he paused and set down 
his lovely burden. No footsteps rang on the stairs 
Dehind him. 

“ By the Saints ! Dick did not follow ! ” he gasped. 
“ I must go back, I will not leave him ! ” 

“ Go, I will await your return,” bravely replied 
Isabel. “ God be with you, dear heart ! ” 

The maiden’s confession of her love — for it was no 
slighter avowal that the peril of the moment had wrung 
from her — had barely passed her lips when they heard 
someone spring along the passage above and stop at 
the head of the stairway. 

” Is that you, Dick? ” Howard, called, cautiously. 

“ Pll be wi’ you in a second, Cap’n Grafton. I only 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


247 


wants space to fix my cloak to my taste/’ came back 
the voice of Roaring Dick. 

’* Hurry, then. Beware, too, there are steps to de- 
scend,” Grafton warned him. 

The arranging of Dick’s mantle was not effected 
very quickly, and the adventurer found himself silently 
cursing this strange fastidiousness of his subordinate 
more than once. But he joined them finally, and the 
three traversed the passage unpursued, coming out 
within the shelter of the thicket on the farther shore. 

From the Sacred Isle there came to their ears the 
far-off din of the still raging combat as they emerged 
into the open air. 

“ The Men of Chile are dying hard, Dick,” Howard 
murmured, half-regretfully. 

“We can’t aid them, Cap’n Grafton,” stolidly replied 
Roaring Richard, leaning upon his ax and breathing 
heavily. “ We must save Mistress Isabel, that’s our 
duty. Best fix your mantle as I has mine, ’tis less apt 
to catch in the undergrowth.” 

The cloak of the seaman was rolled up and worn 
, passing over his right shoulder and under the left arm 
like the poncho of a modern infantryman. Grafton 
decided to follow his advise. 

Regaining their breath, they hurried away into the 
forest and by paths they had learned during their long 
sojourn among the Peruvians, they climbed the moun- 
tain and gained the cavern exit from the hidden vale. 
Both of them knew the way to open the great gates, 
and by sunset they had passed through the tunnel and 
were upon the western side of the ridge. They made 
their camp in a carefully chosen clump of trees and 
slept soundly after the trying experiences of the day. 

And now began for the two Englishmen and the fair 
Isabel long days and weeks of toil and suffering, l^ot 
daring to make for Cuzco, Howard decided that they 
must win their way across the wilderness to the 
northern provinces, and thence fry to take ship from 
Peru. With unfailing courage and hope they entered 
upon this desperate undertaking. By day they plodded 
cheerfully through the woods, living upon what wild 
fruits they could find, and by means of birds and small 
game snared by the ingenious Richard, they managed 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 


to support life. By night, they slept beneath the stars. 
Throughout the whole of their miserable journey the 
courage and good spirits of Isabel aroused the highest 
admiration in her companions. Not once did she mur- 
mur or complain. 

The fifth week of their wanderings was drawing to 
a close, and late in the afternoon they were ascending 
a hill along a road that, seeming little frequented, they 
had ventured to follow, when, as they neared the sum- 
mit, the keen eye of Roaring Dick marked the flash of 
a morion from behind a rock. 

He called out to Howard, but on the instant a score 
of armed men showed themselves, and thv^y saw that 
they were surrounded by Spaniards. Resistance was 
useless, and Grafton cried that they surrendered, add- 
ing: “Do what you will with us, but spare the lady.” 

“ The fate of all three of you lies with our captain, 
senor,” the leader of the ambuscade courteously re- 
turned. “ We are but the advance-guard, and seeing 
your approach, I determined to apprehend you. I will 
escort you to the main part of our force at once, for it 
is late and by the time we reach them they will have 
pitched the camp.” 

A mile to the rear they found the white tents of the 
encampment already erected for the night. They were 
brought at once before the chief, and all hope of mercy 
died in Grafton Howard’s breast as he recognized the 
mighty stature and savage countenance of Francisco 
de Carbajal. 

“ Ha ! ” the old warrior cried, recollecting the Eng- 
lishman at once. “ ‘Tis you at last, my boy ! I have 
long hoped for this meeting. Do you recall my 
promise when we parted ? ” 

“ I doubt not that it will be fulfilled,” Grafton an- 
swered, steadily. 

“ Be easy. You shall be served as was your leader. 
But, no, I swore to hang you, didn’t I ? ” 

“ Almagro, then, is dead ? ” demanded Howard. 

“ Yes, we took him at Cuzco, and lost no time in 
beheading him,” carelessly rejoined Carbajal. 

“There was an Englishman with him, a Senor Shore- 
ham. Did he die, too ? ” queried the adventurer. 

“ No, he’s still in prison, awaiting trial. Dios! the 


THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD 


249 


viceroy is busy enough in that way! B.ut I’ll not 
trouble him with your case. You shall be hanged at 
once. Hola ! Caspar ! ” the old captain cried to one 
of his followers. 

“ Cap’n Grafton,” interposed Roaring Dick, ” I has 
it in mind to say a few words to this here Don, and I 
wishes you to tell him that my Spanish be not o’ the 
best an’ that he must hear me with patience.” 

“ You need not worry about that, my friend. I 
know your tongue as well as I do my own, so say on. 
Is what you have to communicate important?” Car- 
bajal sneered, in English, with a scornful glance at the 
seaman. 

“ Important? Yes, if you wishes to be rich for life. 
We ha’ been among the Indians, sehor,” insinuated 
Dick, ” an’ we knows some o’ their secrets.” 

” In that case, follow me to my tent. You may await 
my orders, Caspar,” laughed the Spanish leader, as he 
strode to his own quarters. 

Once alone with them beneath the canvas shelter 
that was his own property, Carbajal said, sternly : 
“Speak out now, and mind you tell the truth. If I 
find that you lie, I will burn you both.” 

“ You be welcome to do it if my story prove false,” 
Richard said, stoutly. “ Sehor, I come to the point at 
once. You ha’ heard o’ the Girdle o’ the God? ” 

“ Who in Peru has not ? What then ? ” 

“ Would you like to own half of it? ” 

“ Half of that famous treasure? What mean you? ” 

“ Just this. I knows where the Sacred Belt is hid, 
an’ can take you to the place. Swear to spare Cap’n 
Grafton an’ me, likewise to save Cap’n Shoreham an’ 
put no restraint on Mistress Isabel, an’ also to give us 
all a safe passage out o’ this cursed country — swear 
what I ha’ mentioned, I say, an’ I’ll lead you to the belt 
an’ we’ll go halves in it, divide the jewels,” proposed 
Richard. 

Carbajal, stern warrior though he was, was still a 
Spaniard. 

“You have seen the wonderful belt?” he cried, 
eagerly. “ Is it really so valuable as reports say ? ” 

Dick heaved a sigh that spoke volumes. 

“ I never dreamed that anything could look finer to 
me than a glass o’ good liquor, but when I see the 
girdle — ah I ” ' 


250 THE GIRDLE OF THE GOD. 

The expression of the mariner said more than his 
words. Carbajal was convinced. 

‘T agree/’ he cried, promptly. “ I give my word to 
do what you ask. I will swear it on the cross, if you 
desire it.” 

“ Your word’s enough. I knows a man when I see 
him,” Dick rejoined. 

“ And how soon shall I touch the jewels? ” Carbajal 
cried, greedily. 

“ Now, if you wishes,” was the calm reply. 

‘‘Now!'’ Howard, Isabel, and Carbajal cried to- 
gether. 

With a swift movement Roaring Dick unslung the 
cloak he still had been wearing poncho fashion and 
dropped it upon the ground. Untying the ends he un- 
rolled the mantle and rose to his feet. 

” There, Cap’n Grafton,” he cried, turning to 
Howard. ‘‘ That’s why I wasn’t so quick as you were 
to leave the temple. I stayed for that.” 

Upon the frayed and ragged cloth of Ruggles’ cloak 
the Girdle of the Sun God flashed in all the glory of its 
magnificent jewels. 

Francisco de Carbajal was true to his promise. A 
fair division was made of the treasure, and the old free- 
booter conducted the two Englishmen and Isabel back 
to Cuzco. His influence at once secured the freedom 
of Captain Shoreham, and the whole party, by his 
means, were enabled to sail for England, where they 
eventually arrived in safety. 

Long ere the voyage was ended, Grafton Howard 
and Isabel were married, the adventurer .finding him- 
self happier in her love than he ever could have been 
with the beautiful but barbarian Princess Oello. 

Roaring Dick lived with them to the end of his days, 
and the little Howards that arrived in due time never 
tired of hearing him tell how he carried off the Girdle 
of the God. 


THE END. 


JACK CURZON 

OR 

Mysterious Manila 

A NOVEL 


BY ARCHIBALD CLAVERINQ GUNTER 

Author of “Mr. Barnes of New York*' 

“ Bob Covington,** etc., etc. 


The field of iliis work is practically a new one for fiction, 
much of the action of the story taking place in Manila and the 
interior of Luzon, beginning at the outbreak of the first rebellion 
of Aguinaldo and the Katipunan, and ending upon the surren- 
der of Manila to the Americans under Dewey and Merritt. 

The story deals chiefly with the fate of two young ladies, 
the daughters of an expatriated American sea-captain, who has 
given up his nationality to become a subject of Spain, in order 
to hold some very valuable tobacco plantations in the Philippines 
that have come to him from his wife, a Spanish heiress of Nueva 
Ecija. 

Connected with this is the effort of the Germans to obtain a 
foothold in the Philippine Islands, and the curious fate of one 
of them, a Prussian merchant, Herr Adolph Ludenbaum, who 
goes too far in his love for Germany, as well as for one of the 
beautiful semi-American young ladies. 

The situations in the two chapters entitled “ Wedded by 
Decree” and “Divorce by Court-martial” have probably not 
their equal in originality in any novel of this century, showing, 
as they do, the power of the most infamous tribunal of modern 
days, tlie Supreme Court of Manila, and how Captain Roberto 
Chaco, of the Voluntarios, a bloodthirsty Spanish patriot, 
slapped the law straight in the face when it dared to decree the 
woman he adored to the arms of another. 

Intimately connected with these events are the adventures 
of the Englishman of commerce. Jack Curzon, and the Amer- 
ican naval officer, Phil Marston, in their efforts to obtain, in 
spite of Spanish power, the two young ladies who are afiSanced 
to them. 

The peculiar novelty of the plot, diversified as it is by the 
devotion of the wild Tagal insurgent, Ata Tonga, and combined 
with a series of wonderfully graphic and accurate pictures of 
life in Hong Kong, Manila, and the interior of Luzon, should 
tend to give this book an extraordinary vogue with all Amer- 
icans who care for the manifest destiny of their country, as well 
as with the general reader in search of a story of tremendous 
interest and great instruction. 

Cloth, $1.25 Paper, 50 Cents 


FOR SALE BY ALL BOOKSELLERS, OR SENT PREPAID ON RECEIPT OF PRICE 

THE HOME PUBLISHING COMPANY 


3 East Fourteenth 5 trcet New York 


Billy Hamilton 

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL NOVEL 

Ever written upon the late Civil War in America. The 
most successful novel written upon any epoch in 
many years 


ARCHIBALD CLAVERING GUNTER 

Author of 

•*nr. Barnes of New York,** “ Bob Covington,** 

**A Lost American,*’ etc., etc. 


Guntcr^s books arc more generally read than^ 
^erLapSy those of any other twing writer/*" 

— The Times, London^ England# 


Cloth, $x- 2 S Paper, 50 cents 


For Sale by all booksellers or sent pi^aid on receipt of 
p>ice by 6 15*^^ 

THE HOME PUBLISHING COMPANY 

3 East Fourteenth Street - - New York 









I 


b. . 







“ ♦ ^ .'o « 

vl^ ^ 

N s 



.■i-^ 


xO^x. 


■'"°V°\f 0 ,'% ••' 

, i}\’m.,!h o 



<t> 


xV 

" ♦ 



^ \ _ 
V. — ^ fW 


V 00^1 




0 i^ \ 




xO°x. 


1 ^%^/ . 0 ^ S 
v'' 'IV'-, "> ”* ,0^ »'•»/■ 


ii^V *y> 



0 no’ ^ 0 *' 

VT A^\\ww^'::^ z: ^ 





.‘•™-'>‘w-tV--'-->” 


aV * '-^ -ca 








■^oo'* 




O c^ ‘» 

^ - X ’ 0 N c X ^ <► ft ^ ’ A*^ ^ V > « ^ ' 0 « 

% ^o fp' ' ^ .-J 



<L^ ’^C^' 

^ ^ ’^“'vvvv3^ rv 

O » 9 , A * 0 V 0 ’ 

'^- ' v'‘\^i::i'>,/> ,o> 



o 0^ 


> ^ ^ ^J 'V 

' ■'^ < '' 0 ..-^ <'■ %'" 

.Q,- ,>'',^0 ^ c"~' «-^ 0 , 

i .1 N.' yV> 2 -, ^ *> C-C^ ^ 

V M^jrr/^ ^ ^ ^ ^ j 50 A\>\<fc V* 


^ ^ 1 
r^v . <t 


(js 'V, 

^V• ’^'' 





, -- 

^ ^ -V ^ .\0 ^ ^ ^ C» \* '^ ^ ^/ 




a\ t 0 n 0 ^ QV 

.-ft ^ ■'^ ^ 

'. ■''o O"^ 


s.° ' 




' • » ^%. ‘ ‘ ' ' ' ' vN'^'^s ' • • ' *% ' " ~ ° \o^° »’■“”. "c- 

^ iV> ^ vwW^% ^ C' 

\> !I.II1,«Ie^V ^ C^ 



it it 





<p 


' A'i'.v.., '''•^■' a'' ,o~c,V''''*' 

. \H ta. — \ \ \ 




" ^ t 



<> 


V''*^ no’* aO’ ■e 






LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




